Bulgar

//ˈbʌlɡɑː// adj, name, noun

adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of bulgur. alt-of, alternative, uncountable
  2. 2
    A member of a migratory Turkic people from Central Asia who conquered Moesia in the 7th century and settled what is now Bulgaria, and some of whom then migrated to the Volga basin to establish Volga Bulgaria.
  3. 3
    A Bulgarian. rare

    "Prince Alexander of Battenberg […] was chosen by the Bulgars as their first ruler (1879)."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to the Bulgars. not-comparable
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The Turkic language of the Bulgar people.
  2. 2
    A historical group of Turkic dialects, the only extant member of which is Chuvash.
  3. 3
    Bulgarian, the South Slavic language spoken in Bulgaria. rare

    "Prince Alexander of Battenberg […] was erect, gallant, and a man of good will; but he lacked tact, was unable to speak Bulgar, and was soon lost in a maze of intrigue."

Example

More examples

"Prince Alexander of Battenberg […] was chosen by the Bulgars as their first ruler (1879)."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin Bulgarus, from Old Church Slavonic блъгаринъ (blŭgarinŭ), itself from the self designation of Turkic Bulgars, from Proto-Turkic *bulgar (“disturber, disturbing”), active noun/adjective of *bulga- (“to create a state of disorder; to stir, to disturb”). Doublet of bugger.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.