bogatyr

Where does the word "bogatyr" come from? It comes from Old Turkic baghatur, passing through Russian before entering English (1800s).

Bogatyr’s story begins in Old Turkic: baghatur meant “hero, warrior.” A title for a brave warrior among Turks and Mongols; Mongolian 'baatar', as in Ulaanbaatar, is the same word. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Russian as bogatyr. The heroes of the epic songs called 'byliny', such as Ilya Muromets, are bogatyrs. It reached English by 1800s as bogatyr. Viktor Vasnetsov's 1898 painting of three bogatyrs made them an emblem of Russian folklore abroad. Today, bogatyr means a hero of Russian epic poetry.

1. Stage 1 · Old Turkic · medieval baghatur "hero, warrior", a title for a brave warrior among Turks and Mongols; Mongolian 'baatar', as in Ulaanbaatar, is the same word.
2. Stage 2 · Russian · medieval bogatyr "epic hero", the heroes of the epic songs called 'byliny', such as Ilya Muromets, are bogatyrs.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s bogatyr "a Russian epic hero", Viktor Vasnetsov's 1898 painting of three bogatyrs made them an emblem of Russian folklore abroad.