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Numismatic Bulgarian — Some Useful Words
There are several excellent coin reference books written in Bulgarian. This is a list of some words you might find in them. It's certainly not complete, but it might be helpful. It takes no account of grammar or syntax and is just to allow you to recognise the roots of the words. Sometimes the word in the "English" column is actually an English transliteration of a Greek or Latin word — for example, the names of deities or rulers. If you can pronounce the Cyrillic words you won't need those sections at all.
The words are listed in three sections. Here are links:
Rulers — emperors, wives and children in whose names the coins were struck.
Personifications and deities — the main figures on many reverses.
Other words — used in coin descriptions.
The centre column, "Romanised," gives the English versions of the Cyrillic letters. I can't imagine that this gives the correct pronunciation, but helps me, totally ignorant of the language, work with the Bulgarian words; maybe it will help you too.
Rulers
Other Words
Some short words:
а = and, first в = in, on, at и = and на = of по = on, over с = with, and си = its му = him
зад = behind над = over под = under със = with без = without
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English |
| аверс, аверсен | avers, aversen | obverse (of a coin) |
| бига | biga | biga |
| бик | bik | bull |
| Бог or бог | Bog | God or god |
| богиня | bogin(ya) | goddess |
| ботуша | botu(sh)a | (high) boots |
| брадат | bradat | bearded |
| броня | bron(ya) | armour, mail, cuirass |
| бюст | b(yu)st | bust |
| бяг | b(ya)g | running |
| вариант | variant | variant |
| вдигната | vdignata | raised |
| везни | vezni | scales (for weighing) |
| венец | vene(ts) | wreath (worn on the head) |
| вляво | vl(ya)vo | to the left |
| вода | voda | water |
| вол | vol | ox |
| вълчица | val(ch)i(ts)a | she-wolf |
| върха | vur(ch)a | top |
| въэлияние | vuzli(ya)nie | libation |
| галера | galera | galley |
| глава, главата | glava, glavata | head |
| глиган | gligan | wild boar |
| гол | gol | nude |
| горе | gore | above |
| горящ | gor(ya)(sht) | burning |
| град | grad | city |
| градско | gradsko | urban |
| градска богиня | gradska bogin(ya) | city goddess |
| грозде | grozde | grapes |
| гущер | gu(sht)er | lizard |
| драпирана | drapirana | draping |
| дрехата | dre(ch)ata | garment |
| два, две | dva, dve | two |
| доспехи | dospe(ch)i | armour, panoply |
| дръжка | dru(zh)ka | handle, stem |
| дълъг or дълга | dulug or dulga | long |
| държи | dur(zh)i | keep, hold |
| дърво | durvo | tree |
| дясната | d(ya)snata | right |
| елен | elen | stag, deer |
| етажа | eta(zh)a | floors |
| жезъл | (zh)ezul | sceptre |
| жертвелик | (zh)ertvelik | sacrificial altar |
| звезда | zvezda | star |
| земята | zem(ya)ta | the earth, the ground |
| змия | zmi(ya) | snake |
| изображение | izobra(zh)enie | portrait, image, depiction |
| изправена | izpravena | standing upright |
| император, императора | imperator, imperatora | emperor |
| императрнцата | imperatri(ts)ata | empress |
| клонка | klonka | twig, sprig |
| което | koeto | which |
| кожа | ko(zh)a | skin, hide |
| козилог | kozilog | capricorn |
| колело | kolelo | wheel |
| колесница | kolesni(ts)a | chariot |
| колчан | kol(ch)an | quiver |
| коня | kon(ya) | horse |
| конник | konnik | rider, horseman |
| копие | kopie | spear (also means "copy") |
| кораб | korab | ship |
| кормило | kormilo | rudder |
| корона | korona | crown |
| коса | kosa | hair |
| кошница | ko(sh)ni(ts)a | basket |
| крак | krak | leg |
| кривак | krivak | club, truncheon |
| крилата | krilata | wings, winged |
| Критския | Kritski(ya) | Cretan |
| кръгъл | krugul | round |
| кръстосан | krustosan | cross(ed) |
| камшик or къмшик | kam(sh)ik or kum(sh)ik | whip, crop |
| лавров | lavrov | laurel |
| лавров венец | lavrov vene(ts) | laurel crown, ∴ ≅ laureate |
| лази | lazi | crawl |
| легнал | legnal | recumbent, lying flat, in bed |
| лира | lira | lyre |
| лице | li(ts)e | face |
| лъв, лъвска | luv, luvska | lion |
| лък | luk | bow |
| лъчист, лъчеста | lu(ch)ist, lu(ch)esta | radiant, radiate |
| ляв, лявата, вляво | l(ya)v, l(ya)vata, vl(ya)vo | left |
| мантия | manti(ya) | mantle, robe |
| млада | mlada | young |
| наведена | navedena | bent down, bowed down |
| нагънат | nagunat | plicated, folded |
| надолу | nadolu | downwards |
| надпис | nadpis | legend, inscription |
| надясно | nad(ya)sno | right, to the right, rightwards |
| наляво | nal(ya)vo | left, to the left, leftwards |
| наметало | nametalo | cloak, mantle |
| напред | napred | forward |
| него | nego | him |
| Нимфейон | Nimfeion | Nymphaion |
| нос на кораб | nos na korab | prow of ship |
| нож | no(zh) | knife |
| обърнат, обърната | oburnat, oburnata | facing or turned backwards |
| опако, оп. | opako | reverse |
| ореол | oreol | halo |
| около | okolo | around |
| основа, осн. | osnova | exergue, base, foot |
| палмова | palmova | palm (tree) |
| панделка | pandelka | ribbon, fillet |
| пантера | pantera | panther |
| патера | patera | patera |
| паун | paun | peacock |
| печат | pe(ch)at | impression (die) |
| плодове | plodove | fruit |
| подобно | podobno | similar |
| подпрян, подпряно | podpr(ya)n, podpr(ya)no | propped, leaning, resting |
| полу— | polu— | semi— |
| полулегнал | polulegnal | reclining |
| полуобърнат | poluoburnat | half turned |
| порти | porti | gates |
| почиващ | po(ch)iva(sht) | resting |
| прав | prav | upright, straight |
| привързан | priburzan | tied, attached |
| прическа | pri(ch)eska | hairstyle |
| пръст | prust | finger |
| пълна | pulna | full |
| развява | razv(ya)va | wave, flourish |
| разтваря | raztrar(ya) | spread open |
| реверс, реверса | revers, reversa | reverse (of a coin) |
| речен | re(ch)en | river |
| ризница | rizni(ts)a | chain mail |
| рог на изобилието | rog na izobilieto | horn of plenty, cornucopia |
| ръка, ръце | ruka, ru(ts)e | hand, hands |
| сатир | satir | satyr |
| седнаи | sednal | seated |
| скала | skala | rock |
| сложно | slo(zh)no | complex, intricate |
| сочи | so(ch)i | point to, indicate |
| стоглавата | stoglavata | hundred-headed |
| стрела | strela | arrow |
| същият | su(sht)i(ya)t | identical |
| тетрастилен | tetrastile | tetrastyle (temple) |
| тила | tila | neck |
| типичната | tipi(ch)nata | typically, characteristically |
| тирс | tirs | thyrsos |
| тояга | to(ya)ga | staff, club |
| триделен | tridelen | trilobed |
| тройно | troino | triple |
| трон | tron | throne |
| туника | tunika | tunic |
| урна | urna | urn |
| устата | ustata | mouth |
| факел | fakel | torch |
| фронтално | frontalno | frontal, facing |
| хвърля | (ch)vurl(ya) | throws |
| хитон | (ch)iton | chiton |
| ход | (ch)od | walk (ing) |
| храни | (ch)rani | foodstuffs or feeds |
| цветя | (ts)vet(ya) | flowers |
| шлем | (sh)lem | helmet |
| щит | (sht)it | shield |
Some of the reference books this might be useful for are:
Ivan Varbanov's series on Greek Imperial Coins and their Values. The first three volumes are also available as (improved) English versions.
Hristova & Jekov's series of volumes on the Coins of Moesia Inferior, I-III c. AD.
Dimitar Dragonov's "The Coinage of Deultum," and the Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum volume on the Coins of Deultum in Thrace.
This table was compiled by Bill Welch and can also be found on my web site, What I Like About Ancient Coins. Credit should go to members of the Forum Classical Numismatics Discussion Board; in particular, to Charley Rhodes for a list of words that I used to start off this page, to the users Optimus and Pekka K for corrections and additional words, and to Pat Lawrence for generosity and encouragement. But I have made many additions and changes, so any mistakes are likely to be mine.
Two web translation resources have proved useful. Where one fails, try the other. They are Google Translate and Eurodict. They each have their own strengths, and know words the other does not. Google can translate paragraphs and phrases. Eurodict gives you access to the Cyrillic alphabet, which can be very useful, and often gives more detailed definitions of words. You will need to ensure that cookies are enabled in your browser.
The content of this page was last updated on 10 March 2011
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