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==Bolyars in Bulgaria==
The oldest [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] form of ''boyar''—''bolyarin'', pl. ''bolyari'' ({{langx|bg|болярин}}, {{abbr|pl.|plural}} {{lang|bg|боляри}})—dates from the 10th century, and it is found in [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]], also popular as old [[Bulgars|Bulgar]] title ''[[boila]]'', which denoted a high aristocratic status among the Bulgars. It was probably built from Turkic ''bol''- meaning ''many'' and ''yarin, yarki''- meaning ''bright, enlightened''. In support of this hypothesis is the 10th-century diplomatic protocol of the Byzantine Emperor [[Constantine VII]], where the Bulgarian nobles are called ''boliades'',<ref name="homepage.mac.com"/> while the 9th-century Bulgar sources call them ''boila''.<ref name="members.tripod.com" />

A member of the nobility during the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] was called a ''[[boila]]'', while in the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]], the corresponding title became ''bolyar'' or ''bolyarin''. ''Bolyar'', as well as its predecessor, ''boila'', was a hereditary title. The Bulgarian bolyars were divided into ''veliki'' ("great") and ''malki'' ("minor").

Presently in Bulgaria, the word ''bolyari'' is used as a nickname for the inhabitants of [[Veliko Tarnovo]]—once the capital of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]]{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}.