The article is dedicated to the etymology from its beginning in the Antiquity and the Middle Ages to the formation of the principles of scientific etymology in the 19th century. Examples of etymologies from these two stages are presented to illustrate the differences between their methodologies. Several interesting cases of Bulgarian words are analyzed which unexpectedly for the non-trained in the etymological art reader come from a common Indo-European etymon.
Key words: etymology, Bulgarian, Indo-European, loanword
