Kaliarda XXX: Kaliarda etymologies

I am drawing this sequence to a close with posts on noteworthy classes of Kaliarda words from Petrpoulos’ dictionary.

To begin with: I have already posted (and updated) the Romani words in Kaliarda; the Italian words are given in Minniti-Gonias have already been discussed; and the Turkish, French, and English words have been sign-posted by Petropoulos. This is an etymological addendum. (In the following, asterisked forms are not Dura Liarda, but are from the addendum to Petropoulos.)

Albanian words:

vaizo

black woman < vajzë “girl”

kurdavo

almond (etymon not given by Petropoulos)

mutiazo

to shit < muti “shit”

bukuros

beautiful < bukurë

duvdeza

coffin < duvdes “to die”

(I have not been able to confirm these, and these will be Arvanitika, not standard Albanian.)

Spanish words:

kukaro

cockroach < cucaracha

otros

other < otro (if not French autre)

plaza

city square < plaza

To these we need to add Ladino semelja “penis”: this is clearly Lubunca similya “penis” < Ladino semilya “seed”. semelja is a missing link to the Ottoman Empire, since Ladino was spoken widely in Constantinople and Salonica—but not in Athens, whose Jews were Romaniote (Greek-speaking). We know that Kaliarda was spoken in Athens before Salonica became part of Greece in 1912, so semelja proves what the lack of Italian in Lubunca seemingly disproves—that Kaliarda and Lubunca share at least some common ancestry.

The much longer list is that whose etymologies defeated Petropoulos. There are by my reckoning eight Romani stems that Montoliu found and that I have not—though I’m quite sure develo ~ dzevelo and dapavelo are two of them.

Unknown Etymologies:

(avelo) napses

to chat; napsiaris is an informant, and Petropoulos derives it from anapso “to light (a fire)”

(vuelo) foria

to pressure

aθoritos

absurd; aθoritiazo to act stupidly, riskily; to gamble

vakuli

church (Petropoulos claims Venetian bangolo “brothel”, but Minniti-Gonias has not found that word in Boerio. He also suggests vakla “rod” < Latin bacillus)

verɣos

informant

vutra

breasts

ɡolos

deaf

ɡurbandos

charming (of men)

elamu

arrival; elamano “to arrive” (< ela mu “come on”?)

esapsis

wonderful

kajoros, kajos

director (Turkish cayır “quickly, noisily”?)

kanɡuri

nose

kaklamaro

to influence

kansavaro

to correct

kaprikende

matchstick (kendo “to pierce; to set alight”; hence kenda “fire” does not have an unknown etymology. See also kerikende “matchstick” < keri “candle” + kenda)

karakukunis

miser

karalafaro

tickle (kara- “augmentative” + English laugh?)

kaskambera

smart

kaskauti

hashish

katolia

tears

kirkirisi

vomit (onomatopoeia?)

klakakembaro

to make noise in a bar for or against a singer (< French claque?)

kopapi

rusk

kuranda

comb

kurkurzelo

wet

kurkuledzu

slut

kusa

doll

kuseli

gossip (cf. kuskus “ibid.)

kros krose

confetti

kruakis, kruu, kruiko

filthy

lamaro

to back up, cf. kaklamaro to influence

lugra

nasty, bitch. lugra ~ rugla is Lefkada dialect for snot, and derives from Ancient Greek ῥύγχος “nose”

luni

swimming

lupara

ears, luparo “to hear”

lutsia

sea (Petropoulos: Italian luto “sludge”?)

mandalas

cuckold; hence mandalobaltas “prosecution of adultery, adultery”: “cuckold trial”

meliði

end, full stop (looks like “honey”); buromeliðo “song meliði” is a musical note

mentsa

lawsuit

merkeres

kapamas (in Greek: lamb or veal stewed in butter, tomato and spices)

morza

snot

berxamas

argument (Turkish barhana “big inn”?)

bigros

big (English big?)

bilo delo

mirror

bolokaro

to coat

bua

flower (French bois “forest”?)

mukluke

interesting, wonderful

bulɣuana

pretentious

bulɣuriko

sweet, smart, cultured

bulkume, purkume

sperm, ejaculation

bubul

sweet

busɣaliazo

to bury

busɣukulos

indifferent

niseste

clothes, thread, cloth

nitsikos

few

davilaro

to begin

dabagojes

binoculars

dan

he, pl. danakati “they.masc” (dan “he” + kate “that”?)

duna

she, pl. danakate “they.fem” (dan “he” + kate “that”?)

duni

it, pl. dunakata “they.neut” (duni + kate “that”?)

dapavelo

to surrender (Romani? cf. tapavel “to make someone beat someone up”; daravel “to intimidate”)

develo, dzevelo

to desire, to want (Romani? Romani devel “God” does not have a clear relation)

darela

gossip, nonsense

dareli

yellow

dili

tooth (French dent?)

diskronde

cram school, enlightenment, oven (all of which are I presume slang for “place where someone becomes in-the-know”): cf. French discorder?

dovas

hated and repulsive gay

dokomaxmurlis

lazy: doko- (?) + Greek maxmurlis “sleepy-head” < Turkish mahmur

ksepensaris

expensive: ostensibly Greek kse- “un-” + Italian pensare “to think”, so “maddening”?

parandinu

carnival: para-ndinome “to cross-dress”?

prans

nearby: French près “near”?

radaristo

phone receiver: radar? radaro means “to read”

sarmela, sermela

penis: related to semelja “penis”?

sapsaro

to admire

sekanso

I can: English can?

seklaman

innocent, indifferent

sekons

how much; fem. sekonsa, neut. sekonso

sinta

(elastic) spring

sixliazo

to rot, to shrink (from tsixla “thrush (bird); skinny person”?)

skundula

evil eye

smoki

germ

sol

pleasure

tapioka

unkempt hair

tendos

true, and tendu “truth”

dzasbanaðiko, dzasbanotsarðo

insane asylum: “away X shop, away X hut” (dzaslos “away”, dzasnionio “away mind” and dzatestos “away head” mean “insane”; ban resembles banio “bath” < Italian bagno)

dzelbue

leucorrhoea, vaginal discharge

dzuanaro

to leave

dzurata

stockings (dzuro is “urine”)

ˈtula

silence

turkokutrukelo

Smyrna, Izmir: “Turk Χ?”

turla susta

dizziness: lit. “swelling bounce/spring”

tsulukani

child; hence tsulukano “pregnant”

fasa

woman

frida

fire (Italian freddo “cold”?)

xafto

place: related to xafto “to swallow”?

xonsika

toilet

xus

hiding place; xusaro “to hide”

xusia

laughter

xututopos

that place; xutu “?” + topos “place”

psamos

excited, psamono “to get excited”

*aminobarotsarðo

hospital: amino “?” (“defence?”) + barotsarðo “sickness hut”

*ɡuruma

bear; hence ɡurumotos “hairy” (cf. bear)

*ðela

vomit

*karkabiniazo

to look admiringly, to sweet-talk

*kataxar

opposite

*kerekokristalo

photography: “X? crystal”

*kumusa

case; *kumusukulia bandoleer, cartridge belt: “case turds”

*listra

razor (Italian lisciare “to smooth”?)

*berebeðaki

lamb

*buma

potato

*dzurda

glance

*dzaz bilo

unlucky: “away X?” (cf. bilo delo “mirror”)

*faraniazo

to froth: < fari “stallion”? Hence *faraniasmenos “furious” (“frothing at the mouth”)