bejleg
Albanian
Etymology
First attested in the phrase me shtīm beleg (“to provoke, to challenge”). The initial meaning seems to have been "sign, mark", reflected in the modern meaning "person distinguished by a mark or disability". Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian beleg (“mark, feature, stamp”) (attested with the meaning "duel" in Croatian), itself from Proto-Slavic *bělěgъ, ultimately from a Turkic source. The term was part of medieval Serbian legal administration, in which individuals were summoned to court by a stamp (sigillum citationis). The semantic development in Albanian could have been call to court through a stamp > duel invitation through a mark > duel.[1][2]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɛˈlɛɡ/
Noun
bejleg m (indefinite plural bejlegje, definite singular bejlegu, definite plural bejlegjet)
- duel
- flower of corn
- small, prematurely born kid or lamb
- person distinguished by a mark or disability
Synonyms
- dyluftim, duel
Derived terms
- bejlegtar
References
- Topalli, Kolec (2017), “bejleg”, in Fjalor Etimologjik i Gjuhës Shqipe, Durrës, Albania: Jozef, page 190
- Omari, Anila (2012), “bejleg”, in Marrëdhëniet Gjuhësore Shqiptaro-Serbe, Tirana, Albania: Krishtalina KH, page 101-102