varna

IPA/vˈɑːnə/
IPA/vˈɑːɹnə/

varna — noun

1. a city on the eastern coast of Bulgaria that lies along the Black Sea and operat

1.nounB1
Definition

a city on the eastern coast of Bulgaria that lies along the Black Sea and operates as one of the country's main seaports.

Example

Hassan and his family rented a flat near the beach in Varna for two weeks.

preposition pattern: in Varna

The overnight ferry from Varna to Istanbul was cancelled because of the storm.

Common collocations
  • port of Varna
  • city of Varna
  • in Varna
  • to Varna
  • Varna airport
  • Varna beach

Common Mistakes

The varna system divides Hindu society into four groups.' (when referring to the city).
The city of Varna lies on the coast of the Black Sea.
'Varna' (capitalised) is a city in Bulgaria; 'varna' (lowercase) is a term for the Hindu caste categories. Always capitalise Varna when speaking about the place.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Varna, Burgas, Constanța, and Odessa are all major Black Sea port cities, but they lie in different countries: Varna is in Bulgaria, Burgas is also in Bulgaria but further south along the coast, Constanța is Romania's main seaport, and Odessa is in Ukraine. Among these, Varna and Burgas are the closest in size and function — both are Bulgarian ports with beaches and summer tourism — though Varna is larger and has a more developed cultural scene. Constanța handles more cargo traffic than Varna, while Odessa is the busiest of the four. A traveller flying to the Bulgarian coast might choose Varna for the northern resorts (such as Golden Sands) or Burgas for the southern ones (such as Sunny Beach).

BurgasConstanțaOdessa

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Varna airport
  • Varna beach
  • the port of Varna
  • the city of Varna
  • Varna harbour

Prepositions

  • in Varna
  • to Varna
  • from Varna
  • near Varna
  • of Varna

Etymology

Proto-SlavicOld Church SlavonicBulgarianEnglish

The name Varna comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vьrnъ, meaning 'black' — thought to refer to the dark colour of the river or soil in the area. The settlement was known as Odessos in ancient Greek times, but when Slavic peoples arrived around the 6th century CE, they gave it the name Varna. The modern city has kept that name ever since.