Марица

Bulgarian

Etymology

Derived from Thracian *mārаs or *mōras + -ица (-ica), attested as Μηρισός (Mērisós) by ancient scholars.

Georgiev proposes two possible meanings of the Thracian term:

• “marsh, bog”, akin to Romanian Mureș (ancient Μάρις (Máris)), Russian Сама́ра (Samára) (of Iranian origin), Proto-Germanic *mari (“standing water”), Proto-Balto-Slavic *mári (“sea”), etc.
• “great, significant”, cognate with Romanian mare (“great”), Proto-Celtic *māros (“big, great”) and further related to Proto-Slavic *mĕrъ (“great”).

Proper noun

Мари́ца • (Maríca) f (relational adjective мари́шки)

1. Maritsa (river in the Central Balkans, flowing into the Aegean Sea)

References

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “Марица”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 668

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Ма̀рија +‎ -ца.

Proper noun

Ма̏рица f (Latin spelling Mȁrica)

1. a female given name, Hypocoristic of Ма̀рија

Etymology 2

Of Thracian origin.

Proper noun

Ма̏рица f (Latin spelling Mȁrica)

1. Maritsa (a river in Bulgaria)