бисер

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b-s-r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

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• Audio:

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би́сер • (bíser) m (relational adjective би́серен or би́серов)

1. pearl
2. (colloquial) quip (something silly but humorous and memorable that a person has said)

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b-s-r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

• IPA^(key):

• Audio:

  (file)

бисер • (biser) m (relational adjective бисерен, diminutive бисерче)

1. pearl
2. (colloquial) something silly but humorous and memorable that a person has said

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic бисьръ (bisĭrŭ, “pearls”), from Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b-s-r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

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би́сер • (bíser) m inan (genitive би́сера, uncountable)

1. beads

   вышива́ть би́сером ― vyšivátʹ bíserom ― to bead

   вы́шивка би́сером ― výšivka bíserom ― beading, beadwork

   мета́ть би́сер пе́ред сви́ньями ― metátʹ bíser péred svínʹjami ― to cast pearls before swine

• бисерный (bisernyj)

• →? Kildin Sami: пыссяр (pyssjar)
• →? Skolt Sami: peʹsser

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b-s-r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

• IPA^(key): /bǐser/
• Hyphenation: би‧сер

бѝсер m (Latin spelling bìser)

1. pearl

• бѝсе̄ран

• “бисер”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024