Page "Boyar" Paragraph 4

The word is likely derived from the plural form of the Bulgarian title boila (" noble "), bolyare, which is attested in Bulgar inscriptions and rendered as boilades or boliades in the Greek of Byzantine documents.

Its ultimate derivation is possibly from the Turkic roots bai (" noble, rich ") and är.

The title entered Old Russian as быля ( bylya ).