Tsar

Tsar (Bulgarian ???, Russian ????, {{Audio|ru-tsar.ogg|listen}}; often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to 1917 (although this usage is only technically correct until 1721).

Etymology and spelling

The word tsar is derived from the Latin title Caesar by way of the Old Slavonic tsesar (??????). The word is cognate with German Kaiser and Gothic Káisar. The contraction of ?????? into ???? occurred by the way of shorthand writing of titles in old Slavonic church manuscripts, see Titlo article. One may see the examples of this, e.g., in the older copies of the Slavic Primary Chronicle.

Related Topics:
Latin - Caesar - Old Slavonic - German - Kaiser - Gothic - Titlo - Primary Chronicle

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The spelling tsar is the closest possible transliteration of the Russian using standard English spelling. Both czar and tsar have been accepted in English for the last century as a correct usage. French adopted the form tsar during the 19th century, and it became more frequent in English towards the end of that century, following its adoption by The Times. (see the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition). The spelling tzar with 'z' is also very common, and represents an alternative transliteration of the first letter ?.

Related Topics:
Transliteration - Spelling - 19th century - The Times - Oxford English Dictionary

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The spelling czar originated with the Austrian diplomat Baron Sigismund von Herberstein, whose Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii (1549) (literally Notes on Muscovite Affairs) was the main source of knowledge of Russia in early modern western Europe. It is not found in any of the Slavic languages, but is the primary spelling adopted by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition, 2003), with tsar offered only as a variant.

Related Topics:
Austria - Sigismund von Herberstein - Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii - 1549 - Slavic language - Merriam-Webster

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Modern usage seems to have standardized on the use of tsar to describe former rulers of Russia, while czar is used to informally describe an expert in charge of implementing policy (especially in the US): economics czar, drug czar, et cetera.

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Correct pronunciation of tsar is {{IPA|/tsarʲ/}} in IPA though many if not most English-speaking people pronounce it {{IPA|/zɑr/}} or {{IPA|/zɑ:/}}. This is because although English has ts in words like cats it is unusual for this sound to start an English word.

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