word question

[Valentino, Russell]

Dear colleagues,

I just came across the word "kochma" in a Russian language poem by a Central Asian author. When I couldn't find the word in any of my usual sources, I asked a Central Asianist colleague, who told me that the Uzbek word ko'chma means "itinerant" and is used in a derogatory way to refer to people who move from place to place, like nomads or gypsies.

But as that's in Uzbek and this is in Russian, I'm wondering if the connotations are the same. Has anyone else come across this word?

Thanks in advance.

Russell Valentino

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