Where does “чалга” come from?

чалга (Bulgarian) comes from Turkish çalgı, from Turkish çalmak, from Proto-Turkic čal- — to mow.

чалга (Bulgarian): chalga music genre, based on a peculiar Oriental-styled playful rhythm and motifs drawn from Bulgarian folk and partly from Greek, Serbian, Turkish, Romani and Arabic music, usually accompanied by a kind of dance related to belly dancing, known for its provocative lyrics

Definitions

  1. chalga music genre, based on a peculiar Oriental-styled playful rhythm and motifs drawn from Bulgarian folk and partly from Greek, Serbian, Turkish, Romani and Arabic music, usually accompanied by a kind of dance related to belly dancing, known for its provocative lyrics

Ancestry of “чалга”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Turkishçalgımusical instrument
2Turkishçalmakto steal; to play a musical instrument; to play a...
3Proto-Turkicčal-to mow
Every word from Proto-Turkic čal-Every word from Turkish çalmakEvery word from Turkish çalgı