romanian and albanian common vocabulary-libre

8/9/2019 Romanian and Albanian Common Vocabulary-libre

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Common Lexic in Romanian and lbanian.Substrate and Loanwords

Dan Ungureanu, Charles University, Prague

Department of Balkanic Studies

Chair of Romanian Language

The following is a list of common words between Romanian and Albanian. We used the AlbanianEtymological Dictionary of Vladimir Orel, Brill, Leiden, 1998.

We must add we do not share all the etymologies proposed by the Russian author. For instance,

he considers the words shared by Albanian and Romanian, but without a Slavic or Latin origin, as being

loanwords from Albanian into Romanian. We have added, in a second list, the words common to Albanian

and Romanian. Most are present in Arumanian as well.

So the hypothesis of Orel is, somehow, not unlikely. But it is just a statement, as words common

to Romanian and Albanian come, in Romanian, from the Dacian substrate.

So are they loanwords or substrate ? As we have shown in our article about the substrate, with

examples from many languages, the words common to Romanian, Arumanian and Albanian are,

typologically, substrate in many languages. A few of them, of course, are Wanderwrter.

Difficult cases

Rom. a altoi , Alb. mltoj to graft . Both look alike. The Romanian word is considered as being of

Hungarian origin, oltvny, olt, itself of Ugric etymology. The Albanian term is deduced from Lat. maritare.

Unclear. Possible coincidence. As long as we do not have the decisive Arumanian term (there are different

synonyms forgrafting in Arumanian) we should accept the traditional etymologies.

Romanian biat, boy belongs to a semantically unstable category, with many synonyms, each

easily replaced. Italian has more than thirty different dialectal terms. We found Emiliano-RomagnoloMantovan bagaet ragazzo, boy but, among so many variants to chose from, it may be a coincidence.

boy is an affectionate/expressive word, and, like all affectionate words, belongs to a rich list of ever-

replaced terms.

Rom. dop cork, bottle stopper, bouchon was usually derived from Saxon dop, but, as Albanian and

Arumanian show, it must be Dacian or late Latin.


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In the table below, the Romanian meaning is indicated only when different from the Albanian one.

Albanian Albanian meaning Romanian Origin

1 agjroj to fast a ajuna Latin

argsh crude raft ; harrow Arge Dacian

argjend silver argint Latin

ark a bow arc Latin

arqit willow rchit Slavic

ashk wood splinter achie Latin

avull steam, vapor abur Dacian

balt swamp, marsh balt Dacian

bardh white barz Ciconia sp. Dacian

10 bark belly, abdomen burt Dacian

bark boat barc Latin

bashk fleece, wool basc Dacian

begat rich bogat Slavic

bij daughter cf. biat boy Dacian

bishtaj pod, hull, pea pstaie pod Dacian

blude wooden bowl blid Slavic

braz(d) furrow brazd Slavic

brek pants a se mbrca, brcinari Latin

breshk tortoise broasc frog Dacian

20 brez belt bru, brne Dacianbrushtull heather brusture Dacian

brym frost brum Latin

bukur beautiful bucuros happy Dacian

bulbr dust pulbere Latin

bullog dragon s den ; den brlog Slavic

bung oak, Quercus sessiliflora bunget Dacian

but big barrel bute Latin

buz lip, edge buz Dacian

cic breast, nipple Dacian

30 cjap he-goat ap Dacianas time ceas Slavic

et clan, armed group ceat, group Slavic

etin pine-tree cetin, fir needles Dacian

what ce Latin

dalt chisel dalt Slavic

derdh to pour out (derdelu?) frozen slope Dacian


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detyr debt, duty datorie Latin

drmoj to plummet down, cut in

pieces

a drma tear off Latin

dobis to win a dobndi Slavic

40 dojk wet-nurse doic Slavic

drejt straight, right drept Latindru tree, wood druete (archaic) Dacian

edh he-goat ied kid Latin

engjll angel nger Latin

ergjnd silver argint Latin

eshk fungus iasc Dacian, not Latin

fam fame, reputation faim Latin

faqe face, cheek fa Latin

fark smithy ; from lat. fabrica faur, smith from faber Latin

50 fat friend (not from fatum) ft Latin

femr woman (femeie) Latinfmij child, family, spouse femeie Latin

flak, pl. flakra flame flacr Latin

flojere flute fluier Dacian

flok hair floc Latin

flutur butterfly fluture Dacian

fraq biting cold frig Latin

frashr ash-tree frasin Latin

fre bridle frie Latin

60 fruer February furar Latin

fryt fruit frupt Latinfshat village sat Latin

fshik, pshik blister bic Latin

ftuj (vtul) one year old she-goat vtui Dacian

furk fork, distaff furc distaff, fork, Latin

fytyr face fptur body Latin

gamule heap, mound mgur Dacian

gardh fence gard Dacian

gatuaj make ready, prepare a gti Slavic

70 gavr hole gaur Dacian

glbaz liver fluke glbeaz Dacian

grmadh ruin grmad heap Slavic

gilc sinew, groin glci Slavic

glas birds droppings gina Latin

gozhup lambskin waistcoat cojoc Slavic

grabis to steal, rob a grbi (arch. to steal) Slavic

gradin garden grdin Slavic

grazhd manger grajd horse stall Slavic


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grebash rake grebl Slavic

80 grop hole, grave groap Slavic

grun wheat grne wheat Latin

gurmaz gullet grumaz Dacian

gush crop, not throat gu Dacian

gjelbn green galben yellow Latingjob fine, penalty gloab Slavic

harabel sparrow vrabie Slavic

harmshor stallion, stud armsar Latin

hirr /*ksira whey zer Dacian

iriq hedgehog arici Latin

90 kaule hood cciul Dacian

kade barrel cad Latin

kal horse cal Latin

kalibe hut colib Greek or Dacian

or Wanderwortkangjel song cntec, cntecel Latin

kapruall roebuck cprior, cprioar Latin

karrabisht earwig crbu bug Latin or Greek

kastravet cucumber castravete Slavic

katund village (old Wanderwort)

Mongol, Ainu qotan

ctun Dacian or

Wanderwort

kelbaz spleen inflammation, liver

fluke

glbeaz Dacian

kmish shirt cma Latin

100 kndoj to sing a cnta Latinkng song cntec Latin

kput sole cput Latin

kpurdh mushroom ciuperc Dacian

kpush tick cpu Dacian

krkoj to seek, to look for a cerca Latin

kob bad augury cobe Dacian

kofsh hip, thigh coxa coaps Latin

kom mane coam Latin

110 kopil bastard copil unknown

korb raven corb Latin

kos skythe coas Slavic

kos plait cosi Slavic

kosis to mow a cosi Slavic

kosore small skythe cosor pruning knife Slavic

kosh basket co Slavic

kreshm Lent, Quadragesima presimi Latin

krnd foliage, brushwood, leaves creang,crng Dacian


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as fodder

krushk unmarried relative cuscru Latin

120 kryq cross cruce Latin

kujtoj to remember, to think a cugeta Latin

kuk alone (singur) cuc Dacian

kukut fennel cucut (cicuta) Latinkula pancake colac, colaci Slavic

kulm ridge, peak culme Latin

kulpr, Geg

kurpn

ivy, clematis curpeni vines Dacian

kulloshtr beestings, colostrum colastr, corasl Latin

kumtr godfather (analogically from

commater)

cumtru Latin

kunat brother-in-law cumnat Latin

130 kund somewhere unde where Latin

kungoj to communicate Latinkung (Orthodox) altar a cumineca to take

communion

Latin

kunj peg, wedge cui, Banat cun' nail Latin

kunjoj to close a sack with a peg a ncuia to lock up Latin

kuptoj to understand cumpt good judgement Latin

kup heap, pile cup haystack Slavic

kuror, kunor crown cunun Latin

kurt yard curte Latin

kurv whore curv Slavic

140 kushri cousin cusurin (Arum.) cousin Latinkut cubitus, length of a foot cot Latin

kuvend speech cuvnt word Latin

labrgoj to undo, to untie a lbra to get large,

untied

Dacian

laj to wash a la Latin

lak trap, snare, rope la snare, slipknot Latin

lakm greedy lacom Slavic

lapush big-eared Lbu dog name, re-

etymologized from lab paw

Dacian

larushk wild vine luruc Vitis silvestris Latin

lardh fat bacon, lard lard (Transylvania) Latin

150 larg far (away) larg wide Latin

lart, nalt high nalt Latin

latyr rinse water lturi Latin

ledh mud, clay lut clay Latin

lel dirty woman, slut lele ; slut ; aunt Slavic

lepr leprosy lepr Latin


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lepur hare iepure Latin

lngoj weaken, languish lingoare Latin

lshoj to let, to leave, to free a lsa Latin

li, pl. linj flax, linen in Latin

160 lic flax tow, cli ie Latin licium, usually

only the plural licia, warp.

Latin

liktyr rope for binding a bundle of

wood

legtur, a tie Latin

linj linen shirt ie, linen shirt Latin

liq woof, weft ie warp Latin

lopat shovel, oar lopat shovel, oar Slavic

loze tendrils of vine loz vine Slavic

lter altar altar Latin

luan lion leu Latin

lubenic water-melon lubeni Slavic

luft battle, fight lupt fight, battle Latin170 lukr sheep lucru thing, work Latin

lundr boat luntre Latin

lylyver rainbow curcubeu Dacian

lipsem to miss a lipsi Greek

llap tongue, language limb Latin

mac cat (not Slavic) m Slavic

macoll mallet mai, mallet, malleolus Latin

magar donkey mgar Dacian or

Wanderwort or

Balkanismmahnis to stupefy a mhni to get sad Slavic

mal mountain ; also mal tip,

summit

mal shore, bank Dacian

180 makar at least mcar at least Greek

martes marriage mriti marriage Latin

martoj to marry a mrita to marry (about

women)

Latin

mashkull male, man mascur male pig, boar , hog Latin

mashurk,

modhull

green bean, pod mazre green pea Dacian

matk queen bee matc Slavic

matuk mattock mciuc (all three, and

French massue


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mbloj to fill a umple Latin

190 mbret king, emperor mprat Latin

mend mind minte Latin

mezhd baulk, strip of land between

fields

mejdin Slavic

mkat sin pcat Latinmltoj to graft plants (lat. mar itare) a altoi Latin or

Hungarian

mllag marsh mallow, Malva sp. nalb (pre-Indo-eur.)

mllenj black bird mierl Latin

mllez Ostrya carpinifolia, hop-

hornbeam, charme-houblon

molid


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against Orel)

moll apple, apple tree mr apple, apple tree Latin

more, bre vocative used to call a man mre, bre (Balkanic) Dacian

mort death moarte Latin

230 mosh age mo very old man Dacian

mrezh fishing net mreaj Slavicmug twilight amurg evening Dacian

mugull shoot, bud, sprout mugur Dacian

mulli mill moar Latin

murg dark murg brown (horse) Dacian

musht new wine, Fr. mot must Latin

myshk moss muchi Latin ?

myj medulla mduv medulla Latin

neprk adder, viper (not from

Slavic)

nprc Dacian

nevoj need nevoie Slavic

240 nmroj to number a numra Latin

ngarkoj to load, to charge a ncrca Latin

Ngop to sate, to cram a ndopa Dacian

ngujoj to enclose, to lock in a ncuia Latin

ngusht narrow ngust Latin

nip grandson, nephew nepot Latin

notoj to swim a nota Latin

njegull fog, mist negur Dacian

oborr yard, court obor Slavic

250 ograj pasture ograd, yard Slavic

okoll around ocol Slavic

oping shoe opinc Slavic

orok term, limit, appointment soroc Slavic

osht pole, drawbar oite, cart-pole Slavic

otav second crop of hay otav Slavic

pakzoj baptise a boteza Latin

palnj maple paltin Latin

paq peace pace Latin

pashk Easter Pate Latin

260 patkua horseshoe potcoav Slavic

pelin Absinthium, wormwood pelin Slavic

pendar watchman pndar Slavic

peng fetters for horse piedic Latin

peshk fish pete Latin

pllmb palm palm Latin

pllumb pigeon, dove porumbel Latin


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prgjoj to pry, peep, spy a priveghea Latin

przhish to roast a prji Slavic

prall tale, story, parabola absent in Rom.(palavris a late, independent

loan from Greek )

270 prrua brook, river-bed pru Dacian

psoj suffer, to endure a pi Latin

pik drop picur Latin

pirr rye-grass pir Latin < Gr.

pis cat pisic Dacian

pjepr / -n melon pepene Latin

plep poplar plop Latin

plug plow plug Slavic

pluhur powder pulbere Latin

plumb lead plumb Latin

280 pllaj upland, gentle slope plai Latin

pllaz sole of plow plaz Slavic

pllosk flat wooden bottle plosc Slavic

pod story, floor, cellar pod Slavic

pojat shack, cattle-pen poiat Slavic

polic shelf poli Slavic

poll apron poale Slavic

popull people popor Latin

porosit to order, demand a porunci Slavic

port door poart Latin

290 postaf (stone) trough postav Slavic

postat garden plot postat Slavic

praf dust, powder praf Slavic

prag threshold prag Slavic

prashis to hoe over, rake over a pri Slavic

pre prey, booty, plunder prad Latin

prndver spring primvar Latin

prift priest preot Latin

prill April Prier Latin

prind parent printe Latin

300 pul hen (pui) Latin

pulp calf (of leg) pulp Latinpunjashe purse (pung) Slavic

pup(z) hoopoe (lat. upupa) pupz

pyll forest pdure Latin

qartoj to quarrel a se certa Latin

qarr bitter oak cer Latin

qep onion ceap Latin


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qershi cherry cirea Latin

qet quiet ncet Latin

310 q which, that ce Latin

qytet city cetate Latin

rend row rnd Slavic

raqit broom (bush) rchit Slavicrmr/n Valachian, shepherd romn Latin

rr sand arin (dial.) Latin

rshin resin rin Latin

ris lynx rs Slavic

rob serf, prisoner rob Slavic

robtisa to make work hard a roboti Slavic

320 rois (bees) to swarm a roi Slavic

roi swarm of bees roi Slavic

ros duck ra Dacian

rungaj/rungoj avalanche/to weed a arunca Latinrrall rare rar Latin

rrazbitem to weaken a rzbito break,

to defeat

Slav

rrnd rennet rnz Dacian

rrnoj to ruin a urni

rrshaj Pentecost, Rosalia Rusalii Latin

rrip precipice rp Latin

rrogoz reed mat rogoz, rogojin Slav

330 rrojb Carthamus roib madder Latin

rrot wheel roat Latinsabje sword sabie Slav

saj /sanj sledge sanie Slav

sembr two peasants using common

cattle

smbr Dacian

sit sieve sit Slav

sfejk beet sfecl Slav

sfurk rake furc Latin

sill power, force sil Slav

simotr colleague, fellow cumtru Latin

340 skopit to castrate a scopi Slav

sorr crow cioar Dacian

sovajk shuttle suveic Slav

stan stall, herd stn Dacian or

unknown

strvin corpse strv Slav

stog haystack stog Slav

stopan chief shepherd (Iran. word) stpn master Slav


11/16

streh eaves of roof streain Slav

strug a plane (instrument) strung Slav

sut female deer, doe ciut, ut. Dacian

350 shenj sign semn Latin

shndosh healthy sntos Latin

shigjet arrow sgeat Latinshkardh dog chain zgard Dacian

shkmbej to change a schimba Latin

shkndij spark scnteie Latin

shkors rug made of goat wool scoar rug Dacian

shkruaj to write a scrie Latin

shkrumb thing burned to black ashes scrum Dacian

shkurt short scurt Latin

360 short lot soart Latin

shpatull shoulder spate Latin

shpuz hot ashes spuz Latinshqepoj to be lame chiop Latin

shtag pole, stick (tang) Slav

shterp barren, sterile stearp Dacian

shtrg stork strc Slav

shtrat bed, layer strat Latin

shtrembr crooked, curved strmb Latin

shtrngoj to press, to squeeze a strnge Latin

shtrung milking enclosure strung Dacian

370 shurdr deaf surd Latin

tang resentment, prejudice,damnation

tnguire grief Dacian

tend tent tind, entry room Latin

trfoj trefoil trifoi Latin

trsir rope (made of genista) trsn Dacian

tin slime, mud tin Dacian

tis yew tis Slav

toill whetstone tocil Slav

topr small axe topor Slav

tort rope tort yearn Latin

380 trajst knapsack, sack Wanderwort traist Dacian

treg market trg Slav

trubull turbid tulbure Latin

trup corpse trup, body Slav

tuf bundle tuf bush Latin

turm herd turm Latin

turtull turtle-dove turturea Latin

thark enclosure (for milking arc Dacian


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sheep)

thep point, cog, tooth eap Dacian

thrrime fem. pl. crumb frme fem.pl. Dacian

390 thith nipple Latin

thumbull button (the two are not

clearly related)

smbure (stone of fruit) Dacian

ugar fallow land ogor Slav

ulrij to shout, howl a urla to shout, howl Latin

ungj uncle unchi Latin

urdh cheese made from whey urd Dacian

uroj to wish luck, to congratulate a ura, to wish Latin

urtund big vessel without handles rotund round Latin

urrej to hate a ur Latin

ushtar soldier otean soldier Latin

400 ushunj lard osnz Latin

val valley vale Latinval wave val Latin

vatr fire-place, hearth vatr Dacian

vedr pail (for milk) vadr Slav

velenx woolen blanket (Balkanic

word, borrowed by Alban

from Gr from Sl. according

to Orel)

velin

verbr, verb blind orb Latin

verdh yellow verde green Latin

ver summer var Latinver/ven wine vin Latin

410 verig chain ring verig Dacian

veshkt faded, withered veted Latin

veshtull mistletoe vsc Latin

vrs age vrst Slav

vrshoj to flood, overflow a vrsa to pour Latin

vrtet truth adevr Latin

vrtit to turn a nvrti Latin

vrtyt strenght vrtute Latin

vidr otter vidr Slav

virgjr maiden, virgin vergur (obsolete) Latin

420 vishnje cherry viin Slav

vitrk stepfather vitreg (stepmother or

father)

Latin

vjersh poem vier Latin

vjetr old btrn Latin

vrah pile of sheaves vraf pile Slav


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vrazhd unfriendly vrajb enmity Slav

vurkollak werewolf vrcolac Slav

zbavit to scatter a izbvi to save Slav

zan goddess of forests, fairy zn Latin

zgurdhe rectum zgu Dacian

430 zgjebe itch, scab zgaib scab Latinzgjyr rust zgur

432 zid wall zid Slav

Albanian Albanian meaning Romanian Arumanian

argsh crude raft ; harrow Arge Dacian

avull steam, vapor abur abur Dacianbalt swamp, marsh balt balt Dacian

bardh white barz Ciconia sp. bardzu Dacian

5 bark belly, abdomen burt - Dacian

bashk fleece, wool basc Dacian

bij daughter cf. biat boy - Dacian

bishtaj pod, hull, pea pstaie pod pstalji Dacian

breshk tortoise broasc frog broasc Dacian

10 brez belt bru, brne brnu Dacian

brushtull heather brusture broshturu Dacian

bukur beautiful bucuros happy bucurilji Dacianbung oak, Quercus sessiliflora bunget - Dacian

buz lip, edge buz budz Dacian

cic breast, nipple tsts Dacian

cjap he-goat ap tsapu Dacian

etin pine-tree cetin, fir needles - Dacian

derdh to pour out derdelu frozen slope Dacian

dru tree, wood druete (archaic) Dacian

20 flojere flute fluier filjioar Dacian

flutur butterfly fluture - Dacian

ftuj (vtul) one year old she-goat vtui vitulju Daciangamule heap, mound mgur mgur Dacian

gardh fence gard gardu Dacian

gavr /zgaver hole gaur gavr Dacian

glbaz /k- liver fluke glbeaz glbadz Dacian

gurmaz gullet grumaz grumazu Dacian

gush crop, not throat gu gushi Dacian


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hirr /*ksira whey zer dzru Dacian

30 kaule hood cciul cciul Dacian

katund village (Wanderwort)

mongol, Ainu qotan

ctun ctunu Dacian

kpurdh mushroom ciuperc ciupernic Dacian

kpush tick cpu cpushi Dacian

kob bad augury cobe cob Dacian

kopil bastard copil copil Dacian or

Wanderwort

or Slavic

krnd foliage, brushwood, leaves

as fodder

creang,crng grang Dacian

kuk alone (singur) cuc - Dacian

40 kulpr, Geg

kurpn

ivy, clematis curpeni vines curpanu Dacian

labrgoj to undo, to untie a lbra to get large,untied

- Dacian

lapush big-eared Lbu dog name, re-

etymologized from lab

paw

leap,

ureche de

saric

Dacian

lylyver rainbow curcubeu curcubeu Dacian

magar donkey mgar yumaru

(from

Greek ? )

Dacian or

Balkanism

mal mountain ; also mal tip,

summit

mal shore, bank - Dacian

mashurk,

modhull

green bean, pod ; chick-

pea

mazre green pea madzri Dacian

mazatore one year old heifer mnzat veal mndzatu Dacian

mllez Ostrya carpinifolia, hop-

hornbeam, charme-

houblon

molid


15/16

Orel's dictionary.

neprk adder, viper (not from

Slavic)

nprc nprtic Dacian

60 Ngop to sate, to cram a ndopa andopu Dacian

njegull fog, mist negur negur Dacian or

Lat. nebula

prrua brook, river-bed pru - Dacianros duck ra - Dacian

rrnd rennet rnz cljeagu Dacian

sembr two peasants using

common cattle

smbr Dacian

sorr crow cioar - Dacian

stan stall, herd stn stani Dacian or

unknown

sut female deer, doe ciut, ut. ciut, - Dacian

shkardh dog chain zgard Dacian

70 shkors rug made of goat wool scoar rug Dacianshkrumb thing burned to black

ashes

scrum scrumu Dacian

shterp barren, sterile stearp stearp Dacian or

Latin

shtrung milking enclosure strung strung Dacian

tang resentment, prejudice,

damnation

tnguire grief - Dacian

trsir rope (made of genista) trsn Dacian

tin slime, mud tin Dacian

trajst knapsack, sack

Wanderwort

traist tastru,

trastiru

Dacian or

Wanderwort

thark enclosure (for milking

sheep)

arc - Dacian

80 thep point, cog, tooth eap - Dacian

thrrime fem.

pl.

crumb frme fem.pl. Dacian

thumbull button (the two are not

clearly related)

smbure (stone of fruit) smburi Dacian

urdh cheese made from whey urd urd Dacian

vatr fire-place, hearth vatr vatr Dacian

verig chain ring verig (a)veriga Dacian

85 zgurdhe rectum zgu Dacian or

coincidence


16/16

Some etymologies in Orel's dictionary are disputed or wrong. For instance,

Albanesegarcomes from Italiangara, competition, race. It is a recent loanword.

Albanesefraq cold, frost comes, probably, from Lat. frigus, cold,friget, it is cold. Lithuaniani and

Latvian words are phonetically and semantically far-fetched.

The vocabulary pertaining to sheep husbandry is heavy with substrate words. It is most unlikely

that Albanians, sedentary shepherds, have learned anything about sheep husbandry from the immigrant

Slavs. French douve, Rom. glbeaz,liver fluke, Greek flukes worm are all

substrate. And, if it is a Slavic loanwords, why would Albanians not borrow the Slavic word forfluke, and

chose the name of the sausage ? In the overwhelming majority, loanwords keep a literal meaning.

Albanian could not borrow this word neither from Bulgarian (in Bulgarian, sausage is lukanika, a

Greek word) nor from Serbian : the Serbian form is kobasica.

romanian and albanian common vocabulary-libre

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