sevdalinka means A traditional genre of folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina, also popular in the ex-Yugoslavia region. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why “sevdalinka” is a great word
SEVDALINKA — [Noun] A traditional genre of melancholic folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina, characterized by ornate, melismatic singing and themes of love and longing. From Serbo-Croatian sevdalinka, a compound of Ottoman Turkish سودالی (sevdalı, "lover, lovesick") + the Slavic suffix -inka, with the first element deriving from Arabic سَوْدَاء (sawdāʔ, "black [bile]; melancholy"). Unlike the generic "folk song" or the abstract modal system of the "makam," the sevdalinka is the specific vessel for sevdah—that profound, bittersweet yearning. It is the sound of a voice fraying on an ornamental note in a dimmed room; the amber light catching the rim of a raki glass; a melody that lingers in the courtyard long after the singer has fallen silent—the formal articulation of a sorrow so profound it becomes a form of beauty.
Etymology
Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian sevdalinka, a compound of Ottoman Turkish سودالی (sevdalı, “lover”) + -inka, the first element deriving from Arabic سَوْدَاء (sawdāʔ, “black [bile]; melancholy”) + Ottoman Turkish ـلی (-lı).
noun
- A traditional genre of folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina, also popular in the ex-Yugoslavia region.
- A piece composed in this style.