# Svetozar



## EuropeanOrigin

Is there a Slavic meaning for this name? The first part "sveto" looks Slavic but what about the "zar"? Are there other Slavic names which end in this way?


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## Azori

Some online Slovak sources explain its meaning (using Slovak vocabulary) as - "svetelná žiara"

_svetelná_ (adj.) = light, luminous, photic
_žiara_ (n.) = blaze, glare, flare

Not sure if this is correct.


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## igusarov

EuropeanOrigin said:


> Is there a Slavic meaning for this name?  The first part "sveto" looks Slavic but what about the "zar"? Are there  other Slavic names which end in this way?


"Zar" looks slavic too. Russian sources interpret the name as "о*зар*яющий *свет*ом" (word order is not important) which could be explained as "the one who radiates light on those around him".
Other similar slavic names are Велизар (Velizar), Лучезар (Lachezar).

I think Azori's interpretation is also possible, because that "zar" part could have come from several different words.


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## DarkChild

igusarov said:


> "Zar" looks slavic too. Russian sources interpret the name as "о*зар*яющий *свет*ом" (word order is not important) which could be explained as "the one who radiates light on those around him".
> Other similar slavic names are Велизар (Velizar), Лучезар (Lachezar).
> 
> I think Azori's interpretation is also possible, because that "zar" part could have come from several different words.



This is a common name in Bulgarian, along with its variant Свет*л*озар. Велизар and Лъчезар are widely-used too. I didn't know they existed in other languages as I don't remember seeing the –zar ending in foreign names, unlike -slav, -mir, and other similar endings.


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## Azori

DarkChild said:


> This is a common name in Bulgarian, along with its variant Свет*л*озар. Велизар and Лъчезар are widely-used too. I didn't know they existed in other languages as I don't remember seeing the –zar ending in foreign names, unlike -slav, -mir, and other similar endings.


In Slovakia, Svetozár is a rather rare name. I met only one so far. I don't know of any other names of Slavic origin with an ending _-zar/-zár_ in Slovak (the Slovak name day calendar doesn't seem to have any except for "Svetozár").


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## igusarov

DarkChild said:


> I didn't know they existed in other languages [...]


Well, they are listed in the dictionary of personal names...  But I've never encountered such name in Russia in real life.


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## killevippen

Велизар is probably not related to Лъчезар/Лучезар and Светозар, since it seems to be derived from Belisarius/Βελισάριος, although it might have been re-interpreted as Slavic due to folk etymology.

It could be useful to know how old are these names exactly, because they strike me as somewhat artificial and not in accordance with the old Slavic onomastikon; there's a possibility they are relatively recent compounds. Alas, I can't find anything reliable on the subject.


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## Ben Jamin

killevippen said:


> Велизар is probably not related to Лъчезар/Лучезар and Светозар, since it seems to be derived from Belisarius/Βελισάριος, although it might have been re-interpreted as Slavic due to folk etymology.
> 
> It could be useful to know how old are these names exactly, because they strike me as somewhat artificial and not in accordance with the old Slavic onomastikon; there's a possibility they are relatively recent compounds. Alas, I can't find anything reliable on the subject.


Can't the "zar" part be related to the word "zreti" (to see)?


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## killevippen

Ben Jamin said:


> Can't the "zar" part be related to the word "zreti" (to see)?



It seems to be derived from *_zarja_ 'blaze, shining', which is indeed related to *_zьrěti_ 'to see', and this is what bothers me, along with the semantics - I can't think of any other names like that amongst Slavs. I would expect names with meanings like "radiant" in, say, Iranic or Indian context, but they look odd compared to other old Slavic compound names.


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## EuropeanOrigin

killevippen said:
			
		

> Велизар is probably not related to Лъчезар/Лучезар and Светозар, since it seems to be derived from Belisarius/Βελισάριος, although it might have been re-interpreted as Slavic due to folk etymology.


Is there a Latin or Greek meaning for Belisarius or are there other similar names in those languages?


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## ahvalj

EuropeanOrigin said:


> Is there a Latin or Greek meaning for Belisarius or are there other similar names in those languages?


No, Belisarius is assumed to be of Illyrian or Thracian origin http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius

By the way, the Russian adjective _светозарный_ more or less translates the Latin _lūciferus_.


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## bigic

Svetozar is a relatively common name in Serbia. A notable historic person holding that name is the "first socialist of Serbia" Svetozar Marković


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## Ben Jamin

ahvalj said:


> By the way, the Russian adjective _светозарный_ more or less translates the Latin _lūciferus_.



You have only one element in common* свет* = *lux*, there is no equivalent of Latin *fero*, but a repetition of *lux *(or *video*) in *zar*.


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## ahvalj

Ben Jamin said:


> You have only one element in common* свет* = *lux*, there is no equivalent of Latin *fero*, but a repetition of *lux *(or *video*) in *zar*.


I'd rather interpret this _zor-/zar-_ as "radiate, shine", though I'm not sure if it is a verbal root (_озарить_ "illuminate" is denominal). There is also _лучезарный _with_ луч _etymologically related to_ lūx. _But I didn't mean that _светозарный_ is a calque from Greek/Latin: it just has the similar meaning (back to the topic question).


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## Gvozden

It's a Serbian name of Slavic origin. It comes from the verb:

"_ozariti, ozariti se_" = "_obasjati, obasjati se_" also "_odobrovoljiti se, oraspolo__ž__iti se_"... = "_to light up_" also "_to cheer up_"... (there is similar word with different meaning "_ožariti = to burn, to sting_")

and name also adj:
_"svet, sveti/a/o" = "world, holy"_
Both the verb and the name are of Slavic origin. 

The meaning of the name is:
_Svetozar_ = "_The one who light up the world_" or "_the one who cheer up the world_"...

Examples of famous Serbs:
_Svetozar Markovic_ Serbian political activist, _Svetozar Miletic_ political leader of Serbs in Vojvodina etc.


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## Ben Jamin

Gvozden said:


> It's a Serbian name of Slavic origin. It comes from the verb:
> 
> "_ozariti, ozariti se_" = "_obasjati, obasjati se_" also "_odobrovoljiti se, oraspolo__ž__iti se_"... = "_to light up_" also "_to cheer up_"... (there is similar word with different meaning "_ožariti = to burn, to sting_")
> 
> and name also adj:
> _"svet, sveti/a/o" = "world, holy"_
> Both the verb and the name are of Slavic origin.
> 
> The meaning of the name is:
> _Svetozar_ = "_The one who light up the world_" or "_the one who cheer up the world_"...
> 
> Examples of famous Serbs:
> _Svetozar Markovic_ Serbian political activist, _Svetozar Miletic_ political leader of Serbs in Vojvodina etc.



How old is this name? Are you sure that "svet" meant "saint" at  the time the name was coined? What about other meanings of "svet" in Slavic?


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## cooldewd

In my dialect Svet has three meanings:

1/ World - po tsel svet
2/ Saint - Sveti/Sveta/Svetnik/Svetnici
3/ Shine - Sveti/Svetlina


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## Ben Jamin

cooldewd said:


> In my dialect Svet has three meanings:
> 
> 1/ World - po tsel svet
> 2/ Saint - Sveti/Sveta/Svetnik/Svetnici
> 3/ Shine - Sveti/Svetlina



Meaning 1 and 3 occur in all modern Slavic languages with a very similar phonetic form.
Meaning 2 “saint” differs more, e.g. it is *święty* in Polish and *svjatyj* in Russian (свѧтъ [svɛ̃t] or [svɔ̃t], in OCS).

But the point is what *Svet* meant when the name was coined. If it was 1500 years ago then your information does not bring us closer to the solution, as we still don’t know how the name was pronounced at that time ad which of the meanings was intended.


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## ahvalj

I'd like to humbly draw attention to what has been written in ##11 & 14. In Russian, there exists an adjective _светозарный_. The light (_свет_) may illuminate (_озарить_) something, e. g. the lyrics of the Russian variant of "Esmeralda" from "Notre-Dame de Paris" begins with _Свет озарил мою больную душу… _"The light has illuminated my ill soul…".


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## Ben Jamin

ahvalj said:


> I'd like to humbly draw attention to what has been written in ##11 & 14. In Russian, there exists an adjective _светозарный_. The light (_свет_) may illuminate (_озарить_) something, e. g. the lyrics of the Russian variant of "Esmeralda" from "Notre-Dame de Paris" begins with _Свет озарил мою больную душу… _"The light has illuminated my ill soul…".


Well, the discussion continues due (among other) to claims that *Svetozar *is a Serbian name and the *svet *element in it means "holy" (which I personally doubt). Nobody has, so far contended your information.


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## ahvalj

The use of this adjective as a name may be Serbian, indeed, but the word (adjective>noun) itself is obviously older.


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## Ben Jamin

ahvalj said:


> The use of this adjective as a name may be Serbian, indeed, but the word (adjective>noun) itself is obviously older.


It seems that many Serbians believe that  *Svet *in the name means _holy_.


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## ahvalj

Ben Jamin said:


> It seems that many Serbians believe that  *Svet *in the name means _holy_.


I would compare it to the mess with the name _Vladimir_. Judging from the vacillation _-merъ/-měrъ/-mirъ_ in the ancient texts, this name was a Slavic adaptation of the Gothic *_Waldamer(s)_ "glorious through power" (translated at the same time to Slavic as *_Waldeislāwas_ > _Vladislavъ_ etc.), but in some languages (like Russian) the second part of the name has been associated with _mirъ _"world" with a respective change in the perceived meaning.


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## cooldewd

My apologies Ben Jamin

 But, I believe that the name Svetozar would be a derivative of number 2.

 The name probably meant "Saintly"...but I am only speculating...


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## Ben Jamin

cooldewd said:


> My apologies Ben Jamin
> 
> But, I believe that the name Svetozar would be a derivative of number 2.
> 
> The name probably meant "Saintly"...but I am only speculating...


No apologies rquired. Everybody has his right to believe things.
But have you got any stronger arguments than your belief? Any old texts that confirm your hypethesis? Any linguistic analyses taking account of the epoch the name was created, and the language development from that time until now?


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## Christo Tamarin

Bulgarian or Russian could give the clue. Unfortunately, they do not.

If Svet- in Svetozar/*Светозар* means _holy_, then we might have Svjatozar/*Святозар* in Russian.

If Svet- in Svetozar means _radiant,_ then we might have Sve:tozar/*Свѣтозар* in Bulgarian before 1945 (in 1945 the letters ѣ and ѫ were banned by the communists).


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## ahvalj

Christo Tamarin said:


> Bulgarian or Russian could give the clue. Unfortunately, they do not.
> 
> If Svet- in Svetozar/*Светозар* means _holy_, then we might have Svjatozar/*Святозар* in Russian.
> 
> If Svet- in Svetozar means _radiant,_ then we might have Sve:tozar/*Свѣтозар* in Bulgarian before 1945 (in 1945 the letters ѣ and ѫ were banned by the communists).


Is this enough: https://books.google.ru/books?id=ET...d=0CB8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=свѣтозарный&f=false ?


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## Christo Tamarin

ahvalj said:


> Is this enough: https://books.google.ru/books?id=ET...d=0CB8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=свѣтозарный&f=false ?


Yes, it is enough for me. Svetozar/*Светозар *means _radiant_ (*свето*м о*зар*яющий).


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## LD aid

Svet could be “saint”, “world”, “light”
Zar could be “lighting”, “see/observe”, “tsar/king”
So there are 9 possible permutation of what Svetozar may mean or was intended to mean.

Then you have “Mir“ which in Bulgarian means “peace“ while in Russian it means “world”.
Slav is straightforward - “glory” 
Lyubo is from “love”
Rado comes from “joy”
Veli from “velik“ or “great”
Lyud is “people”
Mil mean “dear”
Bozhi means “from God”
Dar is “gift”
Dobro means “good”
Bog is “god”, etc...


so you can literally come up with hundreds of permutations of valid names, Svetomir, Radislav, Radmila, Bogoslav, Dobrolyub, Slavolyub, Bogomil, Bozhidar, Lyudmila.......


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## Awwal12

LD aid said:


> Svet could be “saint”, “world”, “light”


It will be "saint" (or rather "holy") only in those languages where *ę  has coincided with *e. Cf. Rus. svyatóy "holy", "saint", "sacred" vs. svét "(a) light"; "world" (in East Slavic languages the vowels didn't coincide). It basically has been covered above already.


LD aid said:


> Zar could be “lighting”, “see/observe”, “tsar/king”


"Zar" cannot be "king". German uses "z" for "Zar" simply because the "z" letter means the affricate /ts/ in it. Slavic languages have only /ts/ here, not /z/ phonetically.
It doesn't seem that Slavic languages can have "zar" as something directly related to seeing either (the main P-Sl. roots here are *-zьr- > *-zir- and *-zor-), although "-zar-" (generally related to shining; cf. Rus. zaryá "dawn") is believed to be remotely related.

Actually the morphology of "Svetozar" is quite transparent.


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