абдал

Bulgarian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish ابدال (abdal, aptal), from Arabic اَبْدَال (abdāl), plural of بَدَل (badal, “a substitute”), from بَدَلَ (badala, “to replace”). Doublet of будала́ (budalá).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɐbˈdaɫ]

• Audio (Standard Bulgarian, l-vocalization):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɫ
• Syllabification^(key): аб‧дал

Noun

абда́л • (abdál) m (relational adjective абда́лски, diminutive абда́лче)

1. (low colloquial) fool, idiot, simpleton

   Synonyms: ахма́к (ahmák), глупа́к (glupák), глупе́ц (glupéc), идио́т (idiót), малоу́мник (maloúmnik), тъпа́к (tǎpák)

Declension

Declension of абда́л

	singular	plural
indefinite	абда́л abdál	абда́ли abdáli
definite (subject form)	абда́лът abdálǎt	абда́лите abdálite
definite (object form)	абда́ла abdála
vocative form	абда́ле abdále	абда́ли abdáli

Derived terms

adjectives & adverbs

• абда́лски (abdálski)

nouns

• абда́лин (abdálin)
• абда́лщина (abdálština)

References

• “абдал”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “абдал”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• “абдал”, in БЕРОН (Български езикови ресурси онлайн) [BERON (Bulgarian Language Resources Online)] (in Bulgarian), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2024
• “абдал”, in ЛексИт [LexIt] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “абдал”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 1
• “абдал”, in Български тълковен речник [Bulgarian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), fourth edition, Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 2005, →ISBN, page 15

Kumyk

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian ابدال (abdal, “foolish, simpleton”), from Arabic أَبْدَال (ʔabdāl, “substitutes (a Sufi rank)”). Originally referred to wandering dervishes perceived as eccentrics. Compare cognate meanings in Turkish abdal (“foolish”), Azerbaijani abdal (“naive”).

Adjective

абдал • (abdal)

1. foolish, slow-witted
2. stupid, dim-witted

Derived terms

• абдаллыкъ (abdallıq) (abstract noun)

References

• Бамматов Б.Г. (2011) "Кумыкско-русский словарь" Махачкала

Macedonian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish ابدال (abdal, aptal) (whence Turkish aptal, abdal), from Arabic اَبْدَال (abdāl), plural of بَدَل (badal, “a substitute”), from بَدَلَ (badala, “to replace”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [abˈdaɫ]
• Rhymes: -aɫ

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

абдал • (abdal) m (plural абдали, diminutive абдалче, augmentative абдалиште)

1. (colloquial) fool, idiot, simpleton

   Synonyms: будала (budala), глупак (glupak), идио́т (idiót), шутрак (šutrak)

Declension

Declension of абдал

	singular	plural
indefinite	абдал (abdal)	абдали (abdali)
definite unspecified	абдалот (abdalot)	абдалите (abdalite)
definite proximal	абдалов (abdalov)	абдаливе (abdalive)
definite distal	абдалон (abdalon)	абдалине (abdaline)
vocative	абдалу (abdalu)	абдали (abdali)
count form	—	абдала (abdala)

References

• “абдал” in Дигитален речник на македонскиот јазик (Digitalen rečnik na makedonskiot jazik) [Digital dictionary of the Macedonian language] − drmj.eu
• Belčev, Tole (2016), “абдал”, in Речник на турцизми, архаизми, дијалектизми и ретко употребувани зборови во македонскиот јазик [Dictionary of Turkisms, Archaisms, Dialectisms and Rarely Used Words in the Macedonian Language]‎^[1] (in Macedonian), Štip: UGD, →ISBN, page 14

Russian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish ابدال (abdal, aptal, “pauper, Dervish”), whence Turkish aptal (“idiot”); see for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɐbˈdaɫ]

Noun

абда́л • (abdál) m inan (genitive абда́ла, uncountable)

1. Abdal (a sect of Persian monks)

Declension

Declension of абда́л (inan sg-only masc-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular
nominative	абда́л abdál
genitive	абда́ла abdála
dative	абда́лу abdálu
accusative	абда́л abdál
instrumental	абда́лом abdálom
prepositional	абда́ле abdále

Noun

абда́л • (abdál) m anim (genitive абда́ла, nominative plural абда́лы, genitive plural абда́лов)

1. (dialectal) a fraud, crook

   Synonyms: обма́нщик (obmánščik), оба́им (obáim)

Declension

Declension of абда́л (anim masc-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	абда́л abdál	абда́лы abdály
genitive	абда́ла abdála	абда́лов abdálov
dative	абда́лу abdálu	абда́лам abdálam
accusative	абда́ла abdála	абда́лов abdálov
instrumental	абда́лом abdálom	абда́лами abdálami
prepositional	абда́ле abdále	абда́лах abdálax

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish ابدال (abdal, aptal) (whence Turkish aptal, abdal), from Arabic اَبْدَال (abdāl), plural of بَدَل (badal, “a substitute”), from بَدَلَ (badala, “to replace”).

Noun

а̀бда̄л m anim (Latin spelling àbdāl) (regional)

1. fool, idiot
2. naïf
3. simpleton

Synonyms

• будала
• глупак
• наивчина