бърлив

BER derives it from dialectal бъ́рла (bǎ́rla, “muzzle”) +‎ -ив (-iv). Onomatopoeic or expressive origin via dialectal бърле́я (bǎrléja, “to vex”) are also possiblе, at least formally. Similar construction is attested with дъ́рля се (dǎ́rlja se, “to brawl, to clash”) → дърли́в (dǎrlív, “bickering, easily triggered (of personality)”).

Compare further Serbo-Croatian bŕlja (“puddle”), bŕljati (“to muddle”) or Slovene brljȁv (“faint, blurry”), brlẹ́ti (“to be blurry, to dwindle”).

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бърли́в • (bǎrlív) (dialectal, slang)

1. (of animal) one which turns left and right, which acts confusely

   (figuratively) → bewildered, confused, disoriented

   Synonyms: въртогла́в (vǎrtogláv), ша́шав (šášav)

   (by extension) → suffering from neurological disorder

2. (of person) crazy, deranged, with screwed head

   Synonyms: сма́хнат (smáhnat), побъ́ркан (pobǎ́rkan)

3. (of personality) spiteful, ill-tempered

   Synonyms: злонра́вен (zlonráven), спри́хав (spríhav)

• бъ́рльо (bǎ́rljo, “shabby person”) (slang, dialectal)
• бърле́я (bǎrléja), бъ́рля се (bǎ́rlja se), бърля́вя се (bǎrljávja se, “to brawl, to skirmish, to vex”) (dialectal)
  • бъ́рляв (bǎ́rljav, “bickering, maddening”) (dialectal)
• бърло́г (bǎrlóg, “filth, dirt”), бърло́га (bǎrlóga, “animal's den, lair”) (possibly)

• “бърлив”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “бърлив”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 103
• Nayden Gerov, Тодор Панчев (1908) “бърливъ”, in Допълнение на българския рѣчникъ [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language]‎ (in Bulgarian), volume 6, Plovdiv: Печатница "Трудъ" на Петко Бѣловѣждовъ, page 42