Some traces of interlinguistic contacts in the central Balkan mountains

The etymology of three Balkan tree names, S.-Cr. munika ‘Pinus leucodermis' molika ‘Pinus peuce' and omorika ‘Picea omorika' is discussed. The latter is supposed to go back, together with Bulg. morika ‘spruce', to Slavic *mъxorъ ‘fringe' describing here the hanging branches of spruce. The Bosnian pine munika, munjika growing in high and rocky places exposed to the thunder, the relation to S.-Cr. munja < Common Slavic *mъlnja seems probable, and molika may be explained as a re-borrowing from Alb. molikë traceable to the same Slavic prototype *mъlnika