бисер

Bulgarian

Etymology

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbisɛr]

• Audio (Standard Bulgarian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -isɛr
• Syllabification^(key): би‧сер

Noun

би́сер • (bíser) m (relational adjective би́серен or би́серов)

1. pearl
2. (colloquial) quip (something silly but humorous and memorable that a person has said)

Declension

Declension of би́сер

	singular	plural
indefinite	би́сер bíser	би́сери bíseri
definite (subject form)	би́серът bíserǎt	би́серите bíserite
definite (object form)	би́сера bísera
count form	—	би́сера bísera

Macedonian

Etymology

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbisɛr]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

бисер • (biser) m (relational adjective бисерен, diminutive бисерче)

1. pearl
2. (colloquial) something silly but humorous and memorable that a person has said

Declension

Declension of бисер

	singular	plural
indefinite	бисер (biser)	бисери (biseri)
definite unspecified	бисерот (biserot)	бисерите (biserite)
definite proximal	бисеров (biserov)	бисериве (biserive)
definite distal	бисерон (biseron)	бисерине (biserine)
vocative	бисеру (biseru)	бисери (biseri)
count form	—	бисера (bisera)

Further reading

• “бисер” in Дигитален речник на македонскиот јазик (Digitalen rečnik na makedonskiot jazik) [Digital dictionary of the Macedonian language] − drmj.eu

Russian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic бисьръ (bisĭrŭ, “pearls”), from Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbʲisʲɪr]

Noun

би́сер • (bíser) m inan (genitive би́сера, uncountable, relational adjective би́серный, diminutive би́серина)

1. beads

   Meronym: би́серина (bíserina)

   вышива́ть би́сером ― vyšivátʹ bíserom ― to bead

   вы́шивка би́сером ― výšivka bíserom ― beading, beadwork

   мета́ть би́сер пе́ред сви́ньями ― metátʹ bíser péred svínʹjami ― to cast pearls before swine

Declension

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

	singular
nominative	би́сер bíser
genitive	би́сера bísera
dative	би́серу bíseru
accusative	би́сер bíser
instrumental	би́сером bíserom
prepositional	би́сере bísere

Derived terms

• би́серина f (bíserina)
  • би́серинка f (bíserinka)

Descendants

• →? Kildin Sami: пыссяр (pyss’ar)
• →? Skolt Sami: peʹsser

Further reading

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882), “бисер”, in Толковый Словарь живаго великорускаго языка [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Publication of the bookseller-typographer Wolf, M. O.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bǐser/
• Hyphenation: би‧сер

Noun

бѝсер m inan (Latin spelling bìser)

1. pearl

Declension

Declension of бисер

	singular	plural
nominative	бѝсер	бисери
genitive	бисера	би̏се̄ра̄
dative	бисеру	бисерима
accusative	бисер	бисере
vocative	бисеру	бисери
locative	бисеру	бисерима
instrumental	бисером	бисерима

Derived terms

• бѝсе̄ран

Further reading

• “бисер”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026