A RARE NAME OF FOREST IN THE BULGARIAN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE

Abstract

Together with the other southern Slavic languages, the Bulgarian language underwent a serious transformation in the words naming mountain and forest . The Proto-Slavicword mountain in Bulgarian, Serbian and Croatian completely replaces the older name of this term forest . In turn, the old forest in these languages (gora) almost completely displaces forest . The article adds more material in this direction and examines a very rare word, also naming a forest . The scarce material about it from dictionaries is filled with examples from the translation of the Dialogues of St. Gregorii Magni Dialogi, known as the Roman Paterikon . The Roman Paterikon was translated too early. Its first translation appeared during the First Bulgarian Kingdom. There are 2 known versions - short and full. In the 14th century a new translation appeared. It was there that I found the rare name of forest -чѧща. In the present study, a thorough critical review of the existing information on the distribution of the word, as well as the existing interpretations of its origin. The author offers his explanation of the appearance and origin of this rare word in the old Slavic literature.