- Budissin (Latinate form, widely used until 19th c.)
- BZ (initialism)
Etymology
From Middle High German Būdessen (and spelling variants), from Old Sorbian. Cognate with Upper Sorbian Budyšin, Polish Budziszyn. First attested in a Medieval Latin text as Budusin in 1002. The German form is an entirely regular outcome of the Slavic: Postalveolar -š- was borrowed as retracted Middle High German -s-, and Modern German diphthongisation and syncope then yielded Bautzen.
The further origin is uncertain, but probably Slavic, with suggestions including:
- Named after a prince called Budissentius, Budestaus, or alternatively a female *Budiša, from Proto-Slavic *buditi (“to awaken”). Compare names like Budigost, Budimir, Budislav.
- Some sources derive it from the Slavic name of the Ortenburg castle in Bautzen, which is given as Budetzsch, but they do not explain it further. A derivation from Upper Sorbian buda (“hut”) is highly unlikely as this is a Germanic loanword.
- Bautzen legend/folk etymology explains the name by a tale in which a traveling duchess gave birth in present-day Bautzen, during which the rushing husband asked budeli ssen,[1] or perhaps in modern Upper Sorbian budźe syn? (“will it be a son?”).
Compare also Bautzen at German Wikipedia.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbaʊ̯tsən/, [ˈbaʊ̯.t͡sn̩]
- Rhymes: -aʊ̯tsən, -aʊ̯t͡sn̩
- Hyphenation: Baut‧zen
Proper noun
Bautzen n (proper noun, genitive Bautzens or (optionally with an article) Bautzen)
- Bautzen (a town and rural district of Saxony, Germany)
2024 June 5, Stefan Schmidt, “Schwindende Bevölkerung und steigende Kosten im Landkreis Bautzen [Declining population and rising costs in the district of Bautzen]”, in Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, retrieved 23 June 2024:Der Landkreis Bautzen ist seit der Kreisgebietsreform 2008 der flächenmäßig größte Landkreis im Freistaat.- Since the district reform in 2008, the district of Bautzen has been the largest in terms of area in the Free State of Saxony.
- (astronomy) 11580 Bautzen (an asteroid)
Declension
More information singular, def. ...
Close
Declension of Bautzen [sg-only, neuter, toponym]
1Optionally with an article.
References
Johann Georg Theodor Gräße: Der Sagenschatz des Königreichs Sachsen, 1855, Nr. 611 „Die Sage von der Entstehung des Namens Budissin“, S. 454f.; 2. Auflage 1874, 2. Band, S. 117 f. (Digitalisat auf Wikisource); Roger Rössing: Bautzen VEB F.A. Brockhaus Verlag Leipzig, 1. Auflage 1989, S. 3–4.
Further reading
- “Bautzen” in Duden online
- “Bautzen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
