Names of Moldavia and Moldova: Difference between revisions
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==Etymology== |
==Etymology== |
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One of the existing theories is that Moldavia/Moldova was named after the [[Moldova River]], which is a Slavic name,{{sfnp|Boia|2001|p=55}} derived from Slavic ''mold-'', "spruce, fir".{{sfnp|Du Nay|1996|loc=<!--Moldova (ancient forms: Moldua, Mulduva, the name of the province Moldavia in the east of Rumania) - Slavic mold- (molid+ihe Slavic suffix ...-->}}{{sfnp|Illyés|1988|loc=p. 173<!-- In |
One of the existing theories is that Moldavia/Moldova was named after the [[Moldova River]], which is a Slavic name,{{sfnp|Boia|2001|p=55}} derived from Slavic ''mold-'', "spruce, fir".{{sfnp|Du Nay|1996|loc=<!--Moldova (ancient forms: Moldua, Mulduva, the name of the province Moldavia in the east of Rumania) - Slavic mold- (molid+ihe Slavic suffix ...-->}}{{sfnp|Illyés|1988|loc=p. 173<!-- In Moldova, the opposite true, as is the case in other areas of present-day Romania. Not a single Latin place name has survived, while the entire territory abounds with place and river names of Slavic origin, including the very name of the province: Moldova, archaic Moldua, Mulduva; mold (molid, "spruce fir" cf., Bulgarian molika)433 + the Slavic suffix -ov, -ova. According to an earlier concept, the assimilation of the Slavs occurred in Moldova ...-->}} A. I. Sobolevskij derived it from ''*moldu'', "tender, soft, young".{{sfnp|Nandriș|1968|p=121}} The ending ''-ov(a)/-av(a)'' is a common Slavic suffix used in appelatives and proper names.{{sfnp|Nandriș|1968|p=122}} ''-ova'' denotes ownership, chiefly of feminine nouns. There is significant [[Slavic influence on Romanian]]. |
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The myth, included in works of [[Grigore Ureche]] (1590–1647), [[Miron Costin]] (1633–1691) and [[Dimitrie Cantemir]] (1673–1723), but given varying levels of credibility by these, was that the hunter [[Dragoș]] from [[Maramureș region|Maramureș]] (the founder of Moldavia) in 1359 hunted for wild oxen, accompanied by female dog ''Molda'' who chased an ox into the river where the animal was killed and the dog itself drowned in the water; the river and region was named after the dog.{{sfnp|Kellogg|1990|loc=<!--One myth, given different levels of credence by Ureche, Miron Costin, and Cantemir, was about a place-name: Moldavia. According to legend, a Romanian hunter, Dragos, from Maramures in 1359 sought a wild ox, soon to be extinct in the area. Along with his companions and his female dog Molda, Dragos chased an ox into a river where the hunters' arrows killed the animal. Molda followed the ox into the water and drowned; henceforth, the river and the region bore the dog's name.-->}} |
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The myth, included in works of [[Grigore Ureche]] (1590–1647), [[Miron Costin]] (1633–1691) and [[Dimitrie Cantemir]] (1673–1723), but given varying levels of credibility by these, was that the hunter [[Dragoș]] from [[Maramureș region|Maramureș]] (the founder of Moldova) One myth, given different levels of credence by Ureche, Miron Costin, and Cantemir, was about a place-name: Moldova. |
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Other theories is that it is derived from old [[German language|German]] ''Molde'', meaning "[[Open-pit mining|open-pit mine]]",{{cn|date=April 2018}} or the [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''Mulda'' meaning "dust", "dirt" (cognate with the English ''[[Mold (fungus)|mould]]''), referring to the river.{{cn|date=April 2018}} |
Other theories is that it is derived from old [[German language|German]] ''Molde'', meaning "[[Open-pit mining|open-pit mine]]",{{cn|date=April 2018}} or the [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''Mulda'' meaning "dust", "dirt" (cognate with the English ''[[Mold (fungus)|mould]]''), referring to the river.{{cn|date=April 2018}} |
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The short-lived capital of |
The short-lived capital of Moldova, [[Baia]] in the [[Suceava County]], was called ''Stadt Molde'' in a 1421 German document. |
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==Bogdania== |
==Bogdania== |
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Revision as of 18:43, 11 September 2023
The names of Moldavia and Moldova originate from the historical state of Moldavia, which at its greatest extent included eastern Romania (Western Moldavia), Moldova, and parts of south-western and western Ukraine.
Etymology
One of the existing theories is that Moldavia/Moldova was named after the Moldova River, which is a Slavic name,[1] derived from Slavic mold-, "spruce, fir".[2][3] A. I. Sobolevskij derived it from *moldu, "tender, soft, young".[4] The ending -ov(a)/-av(a) is a common Slavic suffix used in appelatives and proper names.[5] -ova denotes ownership, chiefly of feminine nouns. There is significant Slavic influence on Romanian.
The myth, included in works of Grigore Ureche (1590–1647), Miron Costin (1633–1691) and Dimitrie Cantemir (1673–1723), but given varying levels of credibility by these, was that the hunter Dragoș from Maramureș (the founder of Moldova) One myth, given different levels of credence by Ureche, Miron Costin, and Cantemir, was about a place-name: Moldova. Other theories is that it is derived from old German Molde, meaning "open-pit mine",[citation needed] or the Gothic Mulda meaning "dust", "dirt" (cognate with the English mould), referring to the river.[citation needed]
The short-lived capital of Moldova, Baia in the Suceava County, was called Stadt Molde in a 1421 German document.
Bogdania
The original and short-lived reference to the region was Bogdania, after Bogdan I, the founding figure of the principality.[citation needed]
Wallachia
The term "Black Wallachia" (Template:Lang-ro), in Turkish Kara-Eflak, was another name found used for Moldova in the Ottoman period.[6] It derived from Bogdan I of Moldavia; in Ottoman Turkish usage his state was known as Kara-Bogdan (Template:Lang-ro)[7] and Bogdan-Eflak, "Bogdan's Wallachia".
Republic
Before 1812 the territory of the modern Republic of Moldova was usually called Eastern Moldova, Eastern Lowlands, Dniester-Prut, Bendery (for the largest town) or Orhei (for the largest town in the middle). Since 1812 the Russians spread the name of the small Bessarabia on it, so that this name became mostly associated with this territory. After the establishment of the Moldovan SSR in the 1940s the new republic started to be unofficially called Moldova and Moldavia. In 1991 that name was adopted as official name, with Moldavia variant quickly preferred in the country itself.
References
- ^ Boia (2001), p. 55.
- ^ Du Nay (1996).
- ^ Illyés (1988), p. 173.
- ^ Nandriș (1968), p. 121.
- ^ Nandriș (1968), p. 122.
- ^ Filstich (1979), p. 39.
- ^ Rădvan (2010), p. 322.
Sources
- Boia, Lucian (2001). Romania: Borderland of Europe. Translated by Brown, James Christian. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 1-86189-103-2.
- Du Nay, André (1996). The Origins of the Rumanians: The Early History of the Rumanian Language. Toronto: Matthias Corvinus Publishing. ISBN 1-882785-08-8 – via Archive.org.
- Filstich, Johann (1979). Armbruster, Adolf (ed.). Tentamen historiae Vallachicae (in Romanian). Bucureşti: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică.
- Illyés, Elemér (1988). Ethnic Continuity in the Carpatho-Danubian Area. Boulder, Colorado: East European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-146-1.
- Kellogg, Frederick (1990). A History of Romanian Historical Writing. Bakersfield, California: C. Schlacks. ISBN 9781884445170.
- Nandriș, Grigore (1968). "Moldova-The Name of the River and the Country". In Magidoff, Robert; Shevelov, George Y.; Simmons, J. S. G.; Taranovski, Kiril (eds.). Studies in Slavic Linguistics and Poetics in Honor of Boris O. Unbegaun. New York: New York University Press. pp. 119–128. ISBN 9780814702819.
- Rădvan, Laurențiu (2010). At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities. Translated by Cîrdei, Valentin. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-18010-9.
Further reading
- Brezianu, Andrei; Spânu, Vlad (2007). The A to Z of Moldova. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-8108-7211-0.
- Mănăilă Maximean, Doina (2014). "A New Theory on the Etymology of the Name of "Moldova"" (PDF). Annals of the Academy of Romanian Scientists: Series on History and Archaeology. 6 (2): 131–139.
- Everett-Heath, John (2018). "Moldavia (Moldova)". The Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 1162. ISBN 978-0-19-256243-2.