# Bavaria

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /bəˈvɛəɹi.ə/ · frequency rank #22,899

## Definitions
1. A historic region, former duchy, former kingdom, and modern state of Germany; the modern state includes parts of historical Swabia and Franconia as well as historical Bavaria.

## Etymology
From New Latin Bavaria, from Medieval Latin Baioarii (“Bavarians”), from Latin Boiuvarii (literally “Boii settlers”), a compound of a Gaulish word meaning “cattle owner” (from Proto-Celtic *bāus (“cow”)) + Proto-Germanic *warjaz (“settler”). Alternatively, Pokorny proposes that the first element is a word meaning “warrior”, derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- (“to hit, beat”). This name was adopted by the Marcomanni after defeating the Boii and settling Bohemia and parts of Bavaria.

## Easily confused with
- **bavarian** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bavaria-vs-bavarian)
- **Batavia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/batavia-vs-bavaria)

## Common misspellings (9)
`abvaria`, `baavria`, `bavaira`, `bavarai`, `bavarria`, `bavraia`, `bavvaria`, `bbavaria`, `bvaaria`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bavaria