елха
Bulgarian
Черна елха (широколистно дърво)
Коледна елха с украшения
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *olьxa ~ *jelьxa (“alder”). Bulgarian descendants stem from variants with prothetic *j-, which has been subsequently eliminated (except dialectally).
Originally, the word seems to have referred broadly to any deciduous tree or even generally to any arboreal plant. This sense was apparently used in naming the Christmas tree. Since Christmas in Bulgaria occurs during winter, the later is traditionally made of some type of evergreen conifer. Eventually, this caused semantic drift towards coniferous trees. The similarity to (etymologically unrelated) ела́ (elá, “fir”) may have also facilitated the shift. Compare Russian ёлка (jólka, “spruce”) (< *edlъka).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɛɫˈxa]
Noun
елха́ • (elhá) f (related adjective елхо́в, diminutive елхи́ца)
- (dialectal) Alternative form of е́лша (élša, “alder”)
- decorated tree (typically an evergreen one, e.g. firs or spruces)
- ко́ледна елха́ ― kóledna elhá ― Christmas tree
- новогоди́шна елха́ ― novogodíšna elhá ― New Year's tree
- (by generalization) conifer (usually fir)
- Synonym: ела́ (elá)
Alternative forms
- е́лха (élha) (Strandzha dialects)
Declension
Declension of елха́
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| indefinite | елха́ elhá | елхи́ elhí |
| definite | елха́та elháta | елхи́те elhíte |
Hyponyms
- че́рна елха́ (čérna elhá, “black alder, Alnus glutinosa”)
- си́ва елха́ (síva elhá, “grey alder, Alnus incana”)
- плани́нска елха́ (planínska elhá, “green alder, Alnus viridis”) (literally: mountain alder)
Derived terms
- Елхово (Elhovo) (toponym)
- елхо́вина (elhóvina, “alder wood”)
- елхо́вник (elhóvnik, “juniper”) (dialectal)
References
- елха in Rečnik na bǎlgarskija ezik (Institut za bǎlgarski ezik)
- елха in Rečnik na bǎlgarskija ezik (Čitanka.Info)
- Georgiev Vl. I., editor (1971), “елха”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 493