Where does “будалица” come from?
будалица (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Serbo-Croatian буда̀ла, from Ottoman Turkish budala, from Arabic بُدَلَاء, from Arabic بَدَل, from Arabic بَدَلَ — to replace; to change.
будалица (Serbo-Croatian): a little fool
Ancestry of “будалица”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Serbo-Croatian | буда̀ла | — |
| 2 | Ottoman Turkish | budala | — |
| 3 | Arabic | بُدَلَاء | — |
| 4 | Arabic | بَدَل | substitution, equivalent; a substitute; a good,... |
| 5 | Arabic | بَدَلَ | to replace; to change |