мечка

Bulgarian

животно мечка

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɛt͡ʃkɐ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation^(key): меч‧ка
• Rhymes: -ɛt͡ʃkɐ

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mečьka, either of onomatopoeic origin or a simplified form of *medvědь (the standard proto-Slavic word for “bear”).

Noun

ме́чка • (méčka) f (masculine мечо́к)

1. female equivalent of мечо́к (mečók): she-bear
2. (via generalization) bear (carnivor of family Ursidae)

   кафява мечка ― kafjava mečka ― brown bear

   черна мечка ― černa mečka ― black bear

   полярна мечка ― poljarna mečka ― polar bear

   мечка-гризли ― mečka-grizli ― grizzly bear

3. (figurative) lumbering, robust person

Declension

Declension of ме́чка

	singular	plural
indefinite	ме́чка méčka	ме́чки méčki
definite	ме́чката méčkata	ме́чките méčkite

Derived terms

nouns

• мечка́р m (mečkár), мечка́рка f (mečkárka) (agent nouns)

adjectives

• ме́чкин (méčkin)
• ме́чков (méčkov)

Related terms

• ме́ца (méca), меца́на (mecána)
  • мечо́к (mečók, “male bear”)
  • мече́ (mečé, “bear cub”)
  • ме́чи (méči), ме́чешки (méčeški, “bearish”)
• ме́ча (méča), ме́кам (mékam, “to bellow”) (possibly related)

Descendants

• → Lithuanian: meška

References

• “мечка¹”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “мечка”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Nayden Gerov (1899), “ме́чка”, in Рѣчникъ на Блъгарскꙑй язꙑкъ. Съ тлъкувание рѣчи-тꙑ на Блъгарскꙑ и на Русскꙑ. [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language] (in Bulgarian), volume 3, Plovdiv: Дружествена печꙗтница "Съгласие.", page 62
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “мечка¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 777

печиво мечка

Etymology 2

Derived from Proto-Slavic *męčь (“doughball”) + -ка (-ka).

Noun

ме́чка • (méčka) f (dialectal)

1. oval-shaped pastry, bun

   Synonym: саму́н (samún)

Declension

Declension of ме́чка

	singular	plural
indefinite	ме́чка méčka	ме́чки méčki
definite	ме́чката méčkata	ме́чките méčkite

Related terms

• гме́ча (gméča), ме́чкам (méčkam, “to press”) (dialectal)
• мек (mek, “soft, tender”)
  • меки́ца (mekíca, “pudding”)

References

• “мечка²”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “мечка²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 778

Macedonian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mečьka.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɛt͡ʃka]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: меч‧ка

Noun

мечка • (mečka) f (plural мечки, masculine мечок, relational adjective мечкин, diminutive мече or меченце)

1. (zoology) bear
2. (figurative) hulk (big, clumsy person)

Declension

Declension of мечка

	singular	plural
indefinite	мечка (mečka)	мечки (mečki)
definite unspecified	мечката (mečkata)	мечките (mečkite)
definite proximal	мечкава (mečkava)	мечкиве (mečkive)
definite distal	мечкана (mečkana)	мечкине (mečkine)
vocative	мечко (mečko)	мечки (mečki)

Related terms

• мече n (meče)

References

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

Old Ruthenian

мечка и медвѣжата

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic мечька (mečĭka), from Proto-Slavic *mečьka (“she-bear”), further origin uncertain.

Noun

мечка • (mečka) f animal

1. she-bear

   Synonym: медвѣдица (medvědica)

Descendants

• Belarusian: ме́чка (mjéčka)
• → Latvian: meška
• → Lithuanian: meškà, mẽškė
• → Samogitian: meška

Further reading

• Bulyka, A. M., editor (1999), “мечка”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 18 (местце – надзовати), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN, page 20

Serbo-Croatian

mečka

"mečka"

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mečьka.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mêt͡ʃka/
• Hyphenation: меч‧ка

Noun

ме̏чка f (Latin spelling mȅčka)

1. she-bear, female bear
2. show-bear, trained bear that performs at fairs
3. (slang) A Mercedes-Benz car

Declension

Declension of мечка

	singular	plural
nominative	ме̏чка	ме̏чке
genitive	ме̏чке	ме̏ча̄ка̄ / ме̏чкӣ
dative	ме̏чки	ме̏чкама
accusative	ме̏чку	ме̏чке
vocative	ме̏чко	ме̏чке
locative	ме̏чки	ме̏чкама
instrumental	ме̏чком	ме̏чкама

Further reading

• “мечка”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025