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« 2026. # 1 (187)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 1 (187), 248—257

UDK 94(477.43)”14/19″:811.161.2’373.21

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

The date the article was first submitted to the publication 15.12.2025

The date the article was accepted for publication after review 13.01.2026

The date of publication (publication)

ORIGIN OF THE TOPONYM «KOTSYUBYNCHIKI» (TERNOPIL REGION): A COMPREHENSIVE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY

MELNYCHUK Anastasia

  • ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9930-1652
  • Senior Lecturer, Department of Digital Visual Art;
  • Art Critic, Local Cultural Heritage Researcher,
  • National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture,
  • 20 Voznesensky Uzviz St., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: a.melnychuk@naoma.edu

Abstract. Introduction. The toponyms of Western Ukraine preserve multi-layered linguistic, cultural and historical information that reflects long-term intercultural contacts. The village name Kotsyubynchiki (Ternopil region, Ukraine) is notable for its complex etymological structure shaped by Iranian, Turkic, Slavic and Polish influences.

Problem Statement. Despite the availability of scattered archival, archaeological and linguistic data, the origin of the toponym Kotsyubynchiki has not yet been systematically reconstructed using a multidisciplinary approach. Previous studies refer to partial linguistic interpretations without correlating them with cultural, archaeological and cartographic evidence.

Purpose. The purpose of the study is to reconstruct the genesis of the toponym Kotsyubynchiki by combining archaeological materials, written sources of the 15th—19th centuries, historical maps and comparative linguistic analysis.

Methods. The research applies archaeological analysis (excavation reports and publications on the Iron Age), historical-source analysis (Terebovlia court records, Polish administrative documents, Slownik geograficzny, etc.), cartographic analysis (Beauplan, Jablonowski, Josephine land survey), morphological and comparative-etymological methods based on Slavic, Iranian and Turkic lexical models.

Results. The study reconstructs a multi-stage evolution of the toponym: 1) possible Iranian and Turkic lexical substratum (kōč / kūča / kциe); 2) formation of the Slavic anthroponym Kochuba / Kotsyuba; 3) transformation into the settlement name Kotsyubyntsi in the 15th century; 4) emergence of the derivative form Kotsyubynchiki in the 16th century within the Polish administrative tradition. The results demonstrate the multicultural nature of Podillia’s toponyms and correlate linguistic transformations with archaeological and historical processes.

Conclusion. The toponym Kotsyubynchiki represents a multilayered cultural phenomenon that integrates Iranian, Turkic and Slavic linguistic components, later fixed in Polish and Soviet-Ukrainian administrative practice. The research confirms the continuity of settlement on this territory from the Iron Age and provides a comprehensive model for studying regional toponyms through interdisciplinary methods.

Keywords: Kotsyubynchiki; toponyms; anthroponyms; Po-dillia; Iranian substratum; Turkic substratum; Slavic languages; historical maps; archaeological heritage; etymology.

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