CompareAromanianbardzu(“white (of horses and mules)”): both it and the Romanian word may derive fromProto-Albanian*bardza(“white”), akin toAlbanianbardhë(“white”).
Another theory suggests that its origin is aVulgar Latin root *gardea, fromLatinardea (compareSpanishgarza(“heron”),Portuguesegarça, alsoFrenchbarge(“godwit”)). The confusion ofg andb is somewhat unusual, but may be explained as a Balkan influence. Other cases in Romanian includelimbă,rug,negură,întreba (compare alsoSardinianbula, fromLatingula).[1]
A third proposal is borrowing from a Dacian *barza meaning "stork", derived from a Proto-Indo-European root*sr̥ǵos, also reflected in e.g.Englishstork,Ancient Greekπελαργός(pelargós).[2]
Alternatively, the Romanian word may derive fromPaleo-Balkan , possibly from or viaDacian, fromProto-Indo-European*bʰórh₁ǵos(“gleaming, shining”). Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian [dz] excludes the root *barza, requiring instead *bardza. The sound change from Proto-Indo-European "sr̥" is only attested for Thracian [br] inβρία(bría,“city”) but, due to its conspicuity, it is uncertain whether it occurred as well in Dacian and with a vowel in between. These etymologies don't explain the regional variantsbardăș andbardoș, that provide evidence for [d] in the term of origin and could solely be explained by another borrowing from early unattested Old Albanian*bardë orbardhë.
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| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | ||
| nominative-accusative | barză | barza | berze | berzele | |
| genitive-dative | berze | berzei | berze | berzelor | |
| vocative | barză,barzo | berzelor | |||
barză