# All Slavic languages: brdo - as in Malinô Brdo (Slovak toponym)



## lokopithecus

Hi,

I've been puzzled by a name of a hill in the Liptov region of Slovakia - "Malinô Brdo". 
I suppose the word "brdo" means hill. In Slovak, however, we use the word "vrch" in toponyms as well as a common noun. I believe no speaker of Slovak would actually guess the meaning of "brdo" out of context. 
So here comes my question. Is "brdo" an old Slavic word? Is it used in any Slavic languages as a common noun or a part of a toponym? If so, does it have a specific meaning or is it just a hill?
thanks
lp


----------



## bibax

*Brdo* (bardo, бёрдо, бърдо in various Slavic languages, from Protoslavic bьrdo) was a part of the weaving loom, resembling a comb (snovací hřeben, сновальная гребёнка = beaming reed), hence the meaning "mountain ridge" (horský hřeben, cf. the Brdy range near Prague).

In Czech we say *být na jedno brdo* (= be cast in the same mould).


----------



## vianie

Hi lokopithecus, also in Slovak "brdo" means a part of the loom, through which the thread is drawn out and which is inserted into the spar:

http://slovniky.korpus.sk/?w=brdo&c=28f4

Talking about "Malinô" we can say, it isn't derived from the noun "malina". It should be called "Málinô":

http://www.google.sk/search?q=site%3Ajuls.savba.sk+inurl%3A%2Fediela%2F+malin%C3%B4


----------



## lokopithecus

Thanks for the reply. Since I'm not familiar with weaving, the loom connection has escaped me  
Thanks for throwing some light on this...so mountain ridge it is...now it makes sense.


----------



## sokol

As bibax said, the word exists in several Slavic languages. In BCS it is "hill, mountain ridge", in Slovene it is "hill" (but Slovene also has "vrh", and the latter I think is more frequently used for toponyms - as it refers more specifically to the peak).


----------



## lokopithecus

bibax said:


> *Brdo* (bardo, бёрдо, бърдо in various Slavic languages, from Protoslavic bьrdo) was a part of the weaving loom, resembling a comb (snovací hřeben, сновальная гребёнка = beaming reed), hence the meaning "mountain ridge" (horský hřeben, cf. the Brdy range near Prague).
> 
> In Czech we say *být na jedno brdo* (= be cast in the same mould).



I'm familiar with the Czech "na jedno brko"...haven't heard "na jedno brdo" yet, is it still used a lot?


----------



## bibax

Try to search "na jedno brdo" by Google and you'll see.

"(Jít) na jedno brko" is something else. Brko (= quill, straw used for drinking) is a slang word meaning a cigarette.


----------



## lokopithecus

I don't mean to pick at it, just curious. I thought "na jedno brko" meant "of the same mould" like you suggested.This is one example of what I've found on google. 

Každý talentovaný člověk píše jinak, všichni neschopní lidé píší _na jedno brko_ a ještě k tomu stejným rukopisem.


----------



## bibax

O.K. The expression "psát na jedno brko", i.e. "psát jedním brkem (perem)" (= to write by one quill/pen) is similar to "být (utkán) na jedno brdo" (= to be woven by one reed), the latter is universally used (not only for fabrics).


----------



## sokol

Moderator note:

Now that the link between "brko" and "brdo" in Czech has been established (and now that it is clear that "brko" is of no relevance to the "brdo" discussion) I would ask you to again concentrate on "brdo" and cognates.

You can always open a new thread for "brko" in Czech forum. 

Thank you very much!
Cheers
sokol
moderator


----------



## Duya

sokol said:


> As bibax said, the word exists in several Slavic languages. In BCS it is "hill, mountain ridge", in Slovene it is "hill" (but Slovene also has "vrh", and the latter I think is more frequently used for toponyms - as it refers more specifically to the peak).



In BCS, "brdo" is the major term for [smallish] "hill", along with "br[ij]eg" (no, "breg" does not mean "coast" anymore). "Vrh" means "peak", i.e. something more prominent.


----------



## marco_2

This word is not comprehensible for contemporary Poles but it exists in toponyms like *Bukowe Berdo *(a peak in Bieszczady mountains) or *Bardo *(a town in mountainous Kłodzko region).


----------



## Maroseika

Other congnats with "hill' sense:
Old Slavonic бърдо - hump
Ukrainian бердо  - hill, rock, precipice
Bulgarian бърдо - hill


----------



## TriglavNationalPark

The word *brdo* is fairly rare in Slovenian. I would say that it's archaic, although it's not marked as such in SSKJ. In contemporary standard Slovenian, *hrib* is almost always used instead.

However, it's _very_ common as a toponym. Perhaps the best known examples are *Brdo pri Kranju*, where international summits are often held, and the hilly wine region of *Goriška brda* (frequently referred to as just Brda) on Slovenia's border with Italy.


----------



## ilocas2

Quite curiously, there's a hill range in Czech Republic called Chřiby and the highest hill of this range is called "Brdo". But neither CHŘIB nor BRDO mean "hill" in the contemporary Czech language.


----------



## Sobakus

*Chirby* must be related to *хребет* - spine/mountain ridge. We also have *гребень* - comb and crest (of a mountain or wave), so this "mountain comb" metaphor is quite elaborate in Slavic.


----------



## nonik

Toponym BRDO is propably very archaic slavic word for hils remain in todays names.
http://www.brdy.org/


----------



## vianie

vianie said:


> Talking about "Malinô" we can say, it isn't derived from the noun "malina". It should be called "Málinô"



A completion for non-Slovak readers: the name of the former freeholder in Veľká Fatra was Amália.

That *-ô* is an older Slovak ending used mostly for neuter adjective, today's *-é*.

Thank you.


----------

