плъх

Bulgarian

плъх

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *pelH-

Proto-Balto-Slavic *peliā?

Proto-Slavic *pьlxъ

Bulgarian плъх

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *pьlxъ.

Cognates of that term in other Slavic languages usually mean “dormouse”, while the word for “rat” is either from Proto-Slavic *krysa or *ščurъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pɫɤx]

• Audio (Standard Bulgarian, l-vocalization):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɤx

Noun

плъх • (plăh) m (feminine плъ́хка)

1. rat (rodent of genus Rattus)

   Synonym: патка́н (patkán)

2. (dialectal) vole, dormouse (large mouse-like rodent)

   во́ден плъх ― vóden plăh ― water vole

3. (figurative) low skilled person; sycophant (of people)

   кни́жен плъх ― knížen plăh ― bookworm

   канцела́рски плъх ― kancelárski plăh ― quill-driver

Declension

Declension of плъх

	singular	plural
indefinite	плъх plăh	плъ́хове plắhove
definite (subject form)	плъ́хът plắhăt	плъ́ховете plắhovete
definite (object form)	плъ́ха plắha
count form	—	плъ́ха plắha

Alternative forms

• пълх (pălh), полх (polh), пл̥х (pl̥h) — dialectal

Derived terms

• плъ́хче (plắhče), плъхо́к (plăhók), плъшо́к (plăšók) (diminutive, colloquial)

See also

• плав (plav, “pale”) (possibly related)
• плах (plah, “timid”) (possibly related)

References

• “плъх”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “плъх”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Nayden Gerov; Тодор Панчев (1901), “плъхъ”, in Рѣчникъ на Блъгарскꙑй язꙑкъ. Съ тлъкувание рѣчи-тꙑ на Блъгарскꙑ и на Русскꙑ. [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language] (in Bulgarian), volume 4, Plovdiv: Дружествена печꙗтница "Съгласие.", page 46
• Duridanov, I. V., Racheva, M., Todorov, T. A., editors (1996), “плъх”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 5 (падѐж – пỳска), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 374