Etymology of Moldova
Encyclopedia
The name of Moldova originates from the medieval Principality of Moldavia, which at its greatest extent included Moldova
, and territories in eastern Romania
and south-western Ukraine
.
The principality was probably named after its earliest capital, "Târgul Moldovei" (nowadays Baia
, Suceava County
), a market town on the banks of the Moldova River
. Naming a market town after the river located nearby was a common practice all across the territories inhabited by Romanians
: Târgu Jiu
, Cetatea Dâmboviţei (now Bucharest
), Târgul Siretului
, Curtea de Argeş
, etc.
According to a legend recorded by Moldavian prince Dimitrie Cantemir
in the 17th century, the first Moldavian ruler, Dragoş
, named the country he founded after one of his hounds, Molda, who died during the hunt of an aurochs
in the lands of the future principality.
An explanation was proposed by the Romanian historian Bogdan Petriceicu-Hasdeu, who connected the name of the river Moldova
with Mulde
, a river in Saxony
, and Moldau, the German
name of the river Vltava
in the Czech Republic
, and argues that all derive from the Gothic
word for "dust" (Gothic: 𐌼𐌿𐌻𐌳𐌰, Runic: ᛗᚢᛚᛞᚨ) - Mulda. It is notable that this would not be the only river in Romania that got its name in connection to the word, as Prahova
could be derived from the Slavic
equivalent, Prah.
The Romanian linguist
Iorgu Iordan
proposed that the word be seen as a derivative of Molid (spruce
), but the disappearance of the "i" would be hard to explain within the frame of Romanian phonetics
.
A landowner by the name of Alexa Moldaowicz is mentioned in a 1334 document, as a local boyar
in service to Yuriy II of Halych
; this attests to the use of the name prior to the foundation of the Moldavian state, and could even be the source for the region's name.
sources, especially when referring to the subordonate Moldavian Metropolitanate under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
.
Also, the name "Bogdania" was occasionally used during the rule of Bogdan I of Moldavia
, this being kept for a longer time in Ottoman
sources as Bogdan Iflak - "Bogdan's Wallachia" and Kara-Bogdan - "Black Bogdania".
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, and territories in eastern Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and south-western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Origins of the name
The original and short-lived reference to the region was Bogdania, after Bogdan I, the founding figure of the principality.The principality was probably named after its earliest capital, "Târgul Moldovei" (nowadays Baia
Baia
Baia is a commune in the Suceava County, Romania with a population of 6,793 . It is composed of two villages, Baia and Bogata. Located on the Moldova River, it was one of the earliest urban settlements in Moldavia, originally inhabited by Germans...
, Suceava County
Suceava County
Suceava is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Moldavia and few villages in Transylvania, with the capital city at Suceava.- Demographics :...
), a market town on the banks of the Moldova River
Moldova River
The Moldova River is a river in Romania, in the historical region of Moldavia. The river rises from the Obcina Feredeu Mountains of Bukovina in Suceava County and joins the Siret River near the city of Roman in Neamţ County....
. Naming a market town after the river located nearby was a common practice all across the territories inhabited by Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
: Târgu Jiu
Târgu Jiu
Târgu Jiu is the capital of Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu. Eight villages are administered by the city: Bârseşti, Drăgoeni, Iezureni, Polata, Preajba Mare, Româneşti, Slobozia and Ursaţi.-History:The city takes its name...
, Cetatea Dâmboviţei (now Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
), Târgul Siretului
Siret
Siret is a town in Romania, Suceava County, one of the oldest towns in, and a former capital of, the former principality of Moldavia. It is located 2 km from the border with Ukraine, being one of the main border passing points in the North of the country, having both a road border post and a...
, Curtea de Argeş
Curtea de Arges
Curtea de Argeș is a city in Romania on the right bank of the Argeş River, where it flows through a valley of the lower Carpathians , on the railway from Pitești to the Turnu Roşu Pass. It is part of Argeș County. The city administers one village, Noapteș...
, etc.
According to a legend recorded by Moldavian prince Dimitrie Cantemir
Dimitrie Cantemir
Dimitrie Cantemir was twice Prince of Moldavia . He was also a prolific man of letters – philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer, and geographer....
in the 17th century, the first Moldavian ruler, Dragoş
Dragos
Dragonș, also Dragoş Vodă or Dragoş of Bedeu, was a Romanian voivode in Maramureş who has traditionally been considered as the first ruler or prince of Moldavia...
, named the country he founded after one of his hounds, Molda, who died during the hunt of an aurochs
Aurochs
The aurochs , the ancestor of domestic cattle, were a type of large wild cattle which inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa, but is now extinct; it survived in Europe until 1627....
in the lands of the future principality.
An explanation was proposed by the Romanian historian Bogdan Petriceicu-Hasdeu, who connected the name of the river Moldova
Moldova River
The Moldova River is a river in Romania, in the historical region of Moldavia. The river rises from the Obcina Feredeu Mountains of Bukovina in Suceava County and joins the Siret River near the city of Roman in Neamţ County....
with Mulde
Mulde
The Mulde is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and 124 km in length.The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde and the Freiberger Mulde , both rising from the Ore Mountains...
, a river in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, and Moldau, the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
name of the river Vltava
Vltava
The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague, merging with the Elbe at Mělník...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and argues that all derive from the Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
word for "dust" (Gothic: 𐌼𐌿𐌻𐌳𐌰, Runic: ᛗᚢᛚᛞᚨ) - Mulda. It is notable that this would not be the only river in Romania that got its name in connection to the word, as Prahova
Prahova River
The Prahova River is a river of Southern Romania, which rises from the Bucegi Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians and flows into the Ialomiţa...
could be derived from the Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
equivalent, Prah.
The Romanian linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
Iorgu Iordan
Iorgu Iordan
Iorgu Iordan was a Romanian linguist, philologist, diplomat, journalist, and left-wing agrarian, later communist, politician. The author of works on a large variety of topics, most of them dealing with issues of the Romanian language and Romance languages in general, he was elected a full member...
proposed that the word be seen as a derivative of Molid (spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
), but the disappearance of the "i" would be hard to explain within the frame of Romanian phonetics
Romanian phonology
This article discusses the phonology of the Romanian language. For other details on this language the reader is referred to that article....
.
A landowner by the name of Alexa Moldaowicz is mentioned in a 1334 document, as a local boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
in service to Yuriy II of Halych
Boleslaus George II of Halych
Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia was a ruler of the Polish Piast dynasty who reigned in the originally Ruthenian principality of Galicia...
; this attests to the use of the name prior to the foundation of the Moldavian state, and could even be the source for the region's name.
Other names
Other early names of the principality were Maurovlachia - "Black Wallachia" (with the meaning of "Northern Wallachia" according to cardinal direction color) or Moldovlachia in ByzantineByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
sources, especially when referring to the subordonate Moldavian Metropolitanate under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople , part of the wider Orthodox Church, is one of the fourteen autocephalous churches within the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
.
Also, the name "Bogdania" was occasionally used during the rule of Bogdan I of Moldavia
Bogdan I of Moldavia
Bogdan I the Founder was the third or fourth voivode of Moldavia . He and his successors established the independence of Moldavia, freeing the territory east of the Carpathian Mountains of Hungarian and Tatar domination....
, this being kept for a longer time in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
sources as Bogdan Iflak - "Bogdan's Wallachia" and Kara-Bogdan - "Black Bogdania".
External links
- History of Moldova at Moldova.org