| 释义 |
‖ boyar, boyard|bəʊˈjɑː(r), ˈbɔɪəd|
Forms: 6 boiaren, 7 bojar, boyaren, 7– boyar, 8– boyard.
[a. Russ. boyárin, pl. boyáre ‘grandee, lord’:—earlier bolyárin, prob. f. OSlav. root bol- great; but Miklosich would connect it with Turkish boj stature, boijlu high; Dahl, and others, with Russ. boi ‘war’, which may have influenced the later form. The word occurs in Byzantine Greek as βοϊλάδαι, βολιάδαι; Bulg. bolerin, Serb. bolyar, Roman. boiér.]
A member of a peculiar order of the old Russian aristocracy, next in rank to a knyaz or ‘prince’, who enjoyed many exclusive privileges, and held all the highest military and civil offices: the order was abolished by Peter the Great, and the word is in Russia only a historical term, though still often erroneously applied by English newspaper writers to Russian landed proprietors. In Romania the boiér still existed (c 1887) as a privileged class. (The Eng. boyar appears to have been taken from the plural; boyard is an erroneous French spelling.)
1591G. Fletcher Russe Commw. (1836) 46 The emperours of Russia giue the name of counsellour to diuers of their chiefe nobilitie..These are called Boiarens. a1618Raleigh St. Maxims in Rem. (1661) 43 As the Turk, his Ianizaries; the Russe, his Boyarens. 1676Lond. Gaz. No. 1077/1 Then the Bojars, which are the most eminent persons in this Countrey. 1698Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) IV. 432 The czar..has caused 200 of the boyars in his country to be put to death. 1796Morse Amer. Geog. II. 77 Not only the common people but many of the boyards or nobles. 1858Times 28 Aug. 10/1 The Boyards [of Roumania] are not an aristocracy of birth or wealth; they are simply a privileged class. 1865Spectator 11 Feb. 151 The older families of Russia retain the traditions of the boyars and of their power to a dangerous degree. 1879R. S. Edwards Russ. at Home I. 202 The rich ‘boyars’ (as foreigners persist in styling the Russian proprietors of the present day).
Hence ˈboyardism.
1848Tait's Mag. XV. 482 Boyardism stands a good chance of being vanquished by democracy [in Roumania]. |