Bulgarian origin words in the Romanian language

The Romanian language has borrowed a significant number of words from Bulgarian, with over 470 identified terms, according to linguist Andreea Radu-Bejenaru (photo). She emphasizes that many of these words are related to agriculture, plants, and animals, reflecting a common cultural and historical context. In a detailed analysis, Bejenaru classifies the words into five categories, from those with unique etymology from Bulgarian to those with multiple, uncertain, or indirect etymology.

She also mentions that some words are dialectal or have a popular character, being rarely used in contemporary language. The list includes terms such as 'garden', 'carrot', 'cucumber', and 'sour cherry', highlighting the Bulgarian influence in various regions of Romania. Bejenaru also discusses Romanian toponyms of Bulgarian origin, such as Dristor and Grădiștea, emphasizing the linguistic continuity between the two cultures. This research shows the complexity of Romanian-Bulgarian linguistic interaction and the significant contribution of the Bulgarian language to the formation of the Romanian vocabulary.