собол

Bulgarian

Горски собол

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Slavic *sobolъ, *sobolь, possibly via Russian со́боль (sóbolʹ, “sable”), as Russia was the main exporter of sable pelt during the Middle Ages. Originally may have referred to any “small mammal with hazel or fawn fur”, based on the apparent kinship to dialectal соболе́ц (soboléc, “ground squirel”), Romanian șobolan (“rat”).

The Slavic etymon is sometimes considered a Eurasian wanderwort, a doublet of Turkish-Persian borrowing саму́р (samúr) (ultimately from Middle Persian smwl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [soˈbɔɫ]

Noun

собо́л • (soból) m (relational adjective собо́лев)

1. (obsolescent) small mustelid (member of family Mustelidae)

   Synonym: (dialectal) ла́сица (lásica)

   ⇒ го́рски собо́л (górski soból, “sable (Mustela zibellina)”)

Declension

Declension of собо́л

	singular	plural
indefinite	собо́л soból	собо́ли sobóli
definite (subject form)	собо́лът sobólǎt	собо́лите sobólite
definite (object form)	собо́ла sobóla
count form	—	собо́ла sobóla
vocative form	собо́ле sobóle	собо́ли sobóli

Related terms

• соболе́ц (soboléc, “ground squirrel”) (dialectal)

References

• Todorov, T. A., Racheva, M., editors (2010), “собол”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 7 (слòво – теря̀свам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 266