[busurman] The word busurman keeps popping up everywhere

[Ken Blake]

This "busurman" word keeps popping up everywhere lately.

https://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/language-that-is-a-nightingale-words-of-a-president/
"'We protected the world from the Busurmans," the Cossack whispered."

As far as I can tell, it indicates a Muslim invader, originally the Ottoman
invaders, at least in the region near and around Ukraine.

[Ross Clark]

This must be related to:
Persian musulmān, musalmān,
Turkish müslüman,
Arabic musulmān,
all meaning "Muslim", probably ultimately from Arabic musalmānī ‘convert
to Islam’.
Also widespread in European languages:
French musulman 'Muslim'
Spanish musulmán
English Mussulman ('now archaic and historical')

[Ken Blake]

On Fri, 13 May 2022 11:59:22 +1200, Ross Clark wrote:

>> As far as I can tell, it indicates a Muslim invader, originally the Ottoman
>> invaders, at least in the region near and around Ukraine.
>
> This must be related to:

> Persian musulman

Thanks for that probably connection to "mussulman", where a search
confirmed your hypothesis as to the etymology of busurman's genesis.

I'm not sure how to quote Google Books, but it's in "War and Peace"
https://books.google.com/books?id=YZgOAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA62

Page 62, footnote number 1.
"a busurman (Mussulman, unbeliever)"

It's apparently how Ukrainians distuinguish people by religion.
https://educalingo.com/en/dic-uk/busurmanskyy
"The whole world is Christian and Busurman (Chub., III, 1872, 412);"

It's in a line of this Songs of the Western Slavs collection.
https://romancingthegothic.com/2020/06/16/marko-yacubovich-alexander-pushkin/
"Three days I have carried Bursurman's Lead bullet under my heart."

Here is a discussion which verifies your astute observation.
http://masterrussian.net/f14/%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%81%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BC-11847/
"It's a dative plural from stranger, foreigner, usually who is not
christian (most likely muslim). The word is almost abusive, but since it's
old-fashioned, it could sound ironical, too. I find this word very funny"

Further supporting your enlightened premise that it's of Persian origin.
"The term Bursurman for Muslims in the old Russian annals was from the
language of Khwarazm in the Arabo-Persian script current until the Mongol
conquest of the Volga region in the 13th century."

Thanks for the adroit connection with "Musulman"!