Glossary of Laz Terms

Words you will meet across this site, from the instruments of Laz music to the terms that shaped its history. Search by word or by meaning, or filter by theme.

25 terms

  • Ar

    ar needs review

    One (1)

    Number one. Listed for review by a Laz speaker.

  • Batumi

    ba-TOO-mee

    Black Sea city

    Port city in Adjara, Georgia. Its annexation by Russia in 1878 set off the Laz migrations.

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  • Colchis

    KOL-kis

    Ancient kingdom

    The older kingdom on the same coast, the land of the Golden Fleece in Greek myth.

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  • Derebey

    deh-reh-BAY

    Valley lord

    Literally lord of the valley: the local notables who held real power in the mountains under Ottoman rule.

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  • Dido merhaba

    DEE-do mer-ha-BA needs review

    A warm hello

    A greeting that opens one of the articles on this site. Confirmation by a speaker would be welcome.

  • Egrisi

    eh-GREE-see

    Georgian name for Lazica

    How Georgian sources name the kingdom the Byzantines called Lazica.

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  • Firtina

    FUR-tuh-na

    Valley and river

    The valley in Rize whose name means storm, famous for its arched stone bridges.

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  • Horon

    ho-RON

    Circle dance

    The fast line dance of the Black Sea, performed with interlocked arms.

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  • Jur

    zhoor needs review

    Two (2)

    Number two. Listed for review by a Laz speaker.

  • Kackar

    kach-KAR

    Mountain range

    The range rising behind the Laz coast, separating it from the Anatolian interior.

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  • Kartvelian

    kart-VEH-lee-an

    The language family

    The family that includes Laz, Georgian, Mingrelian and Svan. It is unrelated to any other known family.

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  • Kemence

    keh-MEN-cheh

    Three-stringed fiddle

    The slender bowed fiddle of the eastern Black Sea, held upright against the body.

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  • Lazepe

    LAZ-eh-peh

    The Laz people

    What the Laz call themselves. It is also the name of this site.

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  • Lazica

    la-ZEE-ka

    The Laz kingdom

    The kingdom on the eastern Black Sea, from roughly the 1st to the 7th century AD.

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  • Lazistan

    LAZ-ee-stan

    The Laz homeland

    The historical region along the eastern Black Sea coast, across todays Rize and Artvin provinces and part of Adjara.

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  • Lazuri

    laz-OO-ree

    The Laz language

    The South Caucasian language of the Laz, part of the Kartvelian family. UNESCO classifies it as definitely endangered.

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  • Muhacir

    moo-ha-JEER

    Muslim refugee

    The Ottoman word for the Muslim refugees who moved into the empire as its borders shrank, including tens of thousands of Laz after 1878.

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  • Nena

    NEH-na

    Language, tongue

    Seen in Lazuri nena, the Laz language.

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  • Nokalakevi

    no-ka-LA-keh-vee

    Ruined Lazic capital

    Known to the Byzantines as Archaeopolis, the capital of Lazica, in western Georgia today.

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  • Otxo

    ot-KHO needs review

    Four (4)

    Number four. Listed for review by a Laz speaker.

  • Rize

    REE-zeh

    Province and city

    The heart of the Laz country in Turkey, known for its tea terraces and steep green valleys.

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  • Sanjak

    san-JAK

    Ottoman district

    An Ottoman administrative district. The Sanjak of Lazistan carried the name of the Laz.

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  • Sum

    soom needs review

    Three (3)

    Number three. Listed for review by a Laz speaker.

  • Tulum

    too-LOOM

    Goatskin bagpipe

    One of the two great instruments of Laz music, played at weddings and horon dancing.

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  • Xut

    khoot needs review

    Five (5)

    Number five. Listed for review by a Laz speaker.