Old Bulgar words preserved in the modern Bulgarian language: ZH - Z - I - J

ZH.
 

Modern Bulgarian	Eastern analogies		Cluster_user's ottoman parallels
ZHAGA – a (hand) saw	Close to the Adig ZHAGA and the Abazin ZHZHVAGA (‘iron harrow’) [RAS, 39]
ZHEGL – a joke pin	DZHG (‘ox yoke’) [ARS, 174]	Pashto
ZHELVA - a tortoise	JELIW (‘a cover’) [GASK, 363]	Wakhi
ZHERKA – the old name of the water-mills, preserved in Sevlievo and Trnovo districts	SHERG (‘water-mill’) from JAR (‘a stone’) [IJa, 203] and JEREW (‘to press, to crush’) [GASK, 363]	Ishkashimi, Wakhi
ZHIVOT – life (noun). The Bulgarian word for ‘life’ as opposed to the common Slavic ZHIZN’	DZHIWAK, DZWAK (‘a life’) [ARS, 210-220; MGA; etc.]	Pashto
ZHIZLAK – a hornet (dial.) (Dobrudzha)	ZIGOLOG (‘a hornet’) [IJa, 254]   CHIZH (‘a hornet’) [ChRS]	Ishkashimi
		Chechen
ZHIMI BOGA! – ‘My God!’ (dial.) (in the district of Okhrid, etc.)	Compare to the Talish CHIMI (‘my’) [TRS, 290]. Taking into account that the old word for ‘God’ in the Pamirs was BAGA (with the ancient ending –A, characteristic for Sanskrit and Avestan), the whole expression ZHIMI BOGA! can be regarded as being brought by the old Bulgars.	Talish
ZHULJU – weak, feeble man	DZMULA (‘weak, feeble’) [ARS, 1970, MGA]   From this stem is also the Bulgarian word OSHMULEN (‘low-spirited’)	Pashto

 
 
Z.
 

Modern Bulgarian	Eastern analogies		Cluster_user's ottoman parallels
ZAGARIJA – a type of wheat; ZAKHIRE, ZAJRE – a general word for all types grains	ZKHGJR (‘millet’), ZGKHARA (‘bread of millet’) [ARS, 294-295]   In Chuvash (Middle Volga) the same word is preserved as CAKHAR (SAKHAR), a legacy from the Volga Bulgars.  Probably these words were derived from the Pamirian word for ‘reddish’ – ZANGOR, leading to ZANGOR for ‘millet’.  Going along this line, to the Bulgarian word for ‘wheat’ – ZHITO, corresponds the Pamirian ZHIT (‘yellow’). That is, ZHITO was derived from the yellow colour of the wheat grains.	Pashto	1. ZAGARIJA  turk. zag~are ("millet", rare, 19th cent. redhouse)  < pers. zag~a:re "millet"  2. ZAKHIRA, ZAJRA  turk. zahi^re (stored grain) < `ar. *dh*axi^ra(t) (provisions) the chuvash word is interesting but I have been unable to find it. the chuvash word given for millet is a turkic one, cognate  to turkish darI.
		Pamirian
ZALK – a bite, mouthful	Compare to the Pamirian ZAL (‘to fill’)	Pamirian
ZAMAN – an epoch	Similar in Sarikoli [SRS, 220]	Sarikoli	turk. zaman "epoch, time" < `ar. zama:n
ZARAN – morning	A common Pamirian word – ZAAR, ZAARE [GASK, 444; etc.]	Wakhi
ZAKHARLACHEN (in the district of Razgrad), ZAKHIRACHE (in the district of Trnovo) – weak, ill	ZAKHER (‘weak, feeble’) [ARS, 299]	Pashto
ZAKHUT – a lavatory in the district of (Razgrad), ZAKHUTJAM – to throw (in the districts of Chirpan, Shumen)	ZKHOT (‘a lavatory’) [TRS, 105]	Talish
ZER – really, indeed. In expressions "ima zer, taka zer"	Compare to the Pashto DZER (‘much, stressed’) [ARS, 279]	Pashto
ZID – wall, with derivatives ZIDAR (‘a mason’), ZIDAM (‘to build’), ZIDARIJA (‘masonry’). Two words of this stem are attested in medieval sources – Z’DCHII (‘a builder’) and ZITKOI (‘a fortified district’)	The oldest analogy is the Sumerian ZID (‘a barrier’), the Urartian SID (‘to build’).        ZID (‘a barrier’) [LRS, 129]
		Lezgin
ZIMA – a spleen (dial.)	ZILIZ (‘a spleen’) [GI, 1978], ZJL-ZAM in Gukhul.  ZEKHMAJ (‘a bleeding area, a wound’) [DE, 348]	Eastern Caucasian
		Jazguljami
ZOB – grain, grain provender	ZOB [ARS], ZUOW [DE, 351], ZAW [SRS, 255] – ‘grain, wheat’	Jazguljami, Sarikoli
ZURLA – a snout, muzzle of pig	ZURLA (‘a swearing, curse’) [ARS, 298]	Pashto
ZZNA – to shiver, to shake with cold	Compare to the Chechen ZU’Z (‘shivering’), ZU’ZANA  Talish ZJZ (‘fear, terror’) [TRS, 106]  Wakhi ZJSK (‘to shiver with cold’) [GASK, 365]	Chechen
		Talish
		Wakhi
ZM – a snake (dial.)	SHKHJM (‘grass-snake’) [RAS, 523]	Eastern Caucasian
ZNZA – miserd, niggard	ZND (‘to rob’) [GASK, 517]	Wakhi

 
 
I.
 

Modern Bulgarian	Eastern analogies		Cluster_user's ottoman parallels
ILIGA – in the children’s game ILIGA-PILIGA (a game with ten fingers)	From the old Bulgar word ELIGA (‘ten’, noun). As in the Pamirs and in the Eastern Caucasus IL means ‘many’, while PELG is ‘finger’ in the Eastern Caucasus, ILIGA-PILIGA simply means ‘ten fingers’	Pamirian
		Eastern Caucasian
INDRISHE – geranium	Most probably from the Pamirian stem ENDAR (‘inner, home’). Thus INDRISHE – ‘a home flower’.	Pamirian
IKHU – an exclamation of happiness	IK! IK! (‘THIS! THIS WAY!) [LRS, 135]	Lezgin
IJA – one’s husband’s sister (in the district of Vrshec)	JIJ (‘brother-in-law’) [AG, 390]   IJA (‘one’s husband’s sister’) [TRS, 110]	Mundzhani
		Talish
JOROKLICA – in expression such as "Nevestice, joroklice" ("Oh, you bride, you joroklica"), "Nevestice, oruglice", etc. The Bulgarian etymological dictionary [BER, II, 108] correctly pointed to the similarity with JORUGVA (KHORUGVA) (‘a gonfalon’), which itself is unclear.	From the Mundzhani, also Persian, JORO (‘a prayer to God’) [AG, 390], also YO-RAP (‘a call to God, a promise before God’) [GASK, 510]	Mundzhani, Wakhi	YORO < YO RAP < `ar. (ya: rabb "o lord!"), ya: rabbi "o my lord!"
JOSA, JOSI – a general name of the sheep’s offsprings	JOS (‘young animals, lambs’) [IJa, 252; GASK, 511; etc.]	Ishkashimi, Wakhi

 
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