This article argues that, contrary to current views, the Albanian prefixoid kaca- (e.g. kacadre 'stag beetle' < dre 'stag; deer'), as well as its occasional variants kaça-, kaci-, kaçi- and kacu- (e.g. kaçadredhë 'curled object; curl; curl of hair' < dredhë 'twist, curve, curl'; kacimare 'water chestnut' < mare 'strawberry tree and its fruit'; kaçirubë 'crest; rooster's comb; forelock; mane' < rubë '(black) kerchief; head kerchief; handkerchief'; kacubri 'beetle' < bri 'horn; antenna') are neither just expressive, nor borrowed from the Greek prefix kata- [κατα- ], but rather from identical Modern Greek prefixoids, all of which may ultimately go back to the Greek word άκανθα 'thorn; spine', which is most probably also the source of Modern Greek katsarós [κατσαρός] 'curly' and possibly variously connected with other Albanian and Modern Greek words denoting pointedness, sharpness, scaliness, protrusion, roughness and the like. Such conclusions are reached through a close diachronic and synchronic examination and comparison of phonological, morphological and semantic properties of those affixes and lexemes.
Uhranutí a kletba zaujímají specifické postavení mezi jevy duchovní kultury. Příspěvek se zabývá obecnými rysy a etnolingvistickými aspekty těchto dvou jevů v balkánské kulturní tradici. Zároveň představuje kletby jako zvláštní frazeologický problém v balkánské lingvistice. and The evil eye and curse occupy a special place among phenomenons of spiritual culture. This article deals with common attributes and ethnolinguistical aspects of these two phenomenons in the cultural traditions of Balkans. It also presents the curses as specific phraseological problem in Balkan linguistics.