Od wiadomości do łapówki. Z dziejów wyrazu chabor

Abstract

The article is a small study of the life of a word typical of north-eastern Poland. Etymology of the name chabor derived from Arabic chabar (‘news, information, rumor’) has been explained but in East Slavic lands it has circulated in a different meaning as a ‘bribe’. A geographical constraint of the occurrence of this word in Poland to the territory of Podlasie and Suwalki regions indicates a direct borrowing from East Slavic languages. The discussed word is an inherent element of a local community of northern Podlasie with its peculiarities and unique lexical features resulting from different language systems and specific mentality of its inhabitants.