Czy słowik śpiewa w "chęchach"?, czyli kilka słów o pewnym regionalizmie

The subject of the paper is the lexeme "chęchy" referring to inaccessible wet terrain of abundant vegetation which makes passage difficult. The range of occurrence and the etymology of the lexeme have been established on the basis of linguistic data from materials on General Polish and local dialects printed and published on the internet. It is a lexeme derived from the Wielkopolska region and known to both inhabitants of large cities such as Poznań and Łódź, as well as to populations of central and western Poland. It is used in everyday language and in chrematonyms – the names of shops and products. In terms of its etymology, it is an onomatopoeic word formed in imitation of the sounds of the rustling of leaves and branches and in all probability originates from Old Slavonic. Evidence of this has been found in its connections with other Slavonic lexemes of the same root and similar meaning. Its traces are also found in toponyms – place names and hydronyms beyond the Wielkopolska region and central Poland.