пижавица

Bulgarian

Etymology

Formally an agent noun of an unattested *pižati, with Balto-Slavic parallels in Lithuanian pigùs (“cheap, low”). Compare also Latin piguus (“indolent”).

Alternatively (per BER), could be an expressive variant of standard Bulgarian пия́вица (pijávica, “leech”) from пи́я (píja, “to drink”), with intrusive -ж- due to an association with dialectal Bulgarian пи́жек (pížek, “snail”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [piˈʒa̟vit͡sɐ]

Noun

пижа́вица • (pižávica) f

(dialectal) leech
Synonym: (standard) пия́вица (pijávica)

Declension

Declension of пижа́вица

	singular	plural
indefinite	пижа́вица pižávica	пижа́вици pižávici
definite	пижа́вицата pižávicata	пижа́виците pižávicite

Alternative forms

пижа́йца (pižájca)

References

“пижавица”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
Duridanov, I. V., Racheva, M., Todorov, T. A., editors (1996), “пижавица, пижайца”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 5 (падѐж – пỳска), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 229