STUDIES IN ARMENIAN ETYMOLOGY - Get a Free Blog

At any case, the spread of the PIE term into Near East is possible, and Arm.
agar-ak can be regarded as its secondary reflex and linked with other cultural loans
as burgn `tower' (q.v.) etc. But the ending -ak seems to favour an Iranian
intermediation.
Greppin (1982a: 118; see also 1991b: 724, with some ECauc. forms) treats agarak
as a loan from Hurr. awari- `field'. He stresses that the Hurrian word would
appear in Urartian as *a�re, so Arm. agar-ak must come from Hurrian, not Urartian.
According to J�ahukyan (1987: 425), this comparison is phonologically possible, but
the other etymology is more probable.
agi, agi agi agi GSg agwoy (cf. zagwoy in P`awstos Buzand 3.6), ISg agwov (Epiphanius of
Cyprus), IPl ageawk` or ISg agaw (Philo) `tail'
Bible+.
Une�in agis əst nmanut`ean kar‰i, ew xayt`oc` yagis noc`a (Revelation 9.10);
Agik` noc`a nmanut`iwn o�ji. (Revelation 9.19). In these passages Arm. agi (= Gr.
������) refers to the tails of scorpions and snakes.
In P`awstos Buzand 3.6 (1883=1984: 13 L-12f ; transl. Garso�an 1989: 73): kapec`in
kaxec`in zmanukn Grigoris zagwoy jioyn "hanged and bound [in the text: bound and
hanged - HM] young Grigoris to the tail of the horse".
In these three classical passages agi refers to the tail(s) of scorpions, snakes, and a
horse, respectively. Elsewhere agi denotes the tail of a lion, a dog, etc. [NHB 1: 3].
As we see, it is used also for snakes and for a dog, despite A‰ar�yan's statement (see
HAB 1: 77b).
A meaning `penis' can be deduced from agat `whose penis is cut off' used by
Grigor Tat`ewac`i in "Girk` harc`manc`" (14th cent.).
����DIAL DIAL Preserved in the dialects with:
initial a-: Agulis, Ha‰ən, Aslanbek, Xarberd, R�otost`o, Akn, Sebastia, J�t`. [a
misprint in HAB for Zt`. or J�ɫ. ?], Ala�kert, Su‰`ava [HAB 1: 78a], Mv. [? not in the
list of abbrev.], Papen, Xotrj�ur [HayLezBrbBar� 1, 2001: 3b]; Svedia [Andreasyan
1967: 352a];
initial h-: �arabaɫ ha��k` y i, ha��k` y u� [Davt`yan 1966: 299]; Goris ha�k`i, ha�k`u�, ha�k` y u�
[Margaryan 1975: 311a, 425a], perhaps also ha�k`u�n, cf. AblSg ha�k`u�nic` (referring
to the tail of a hen) [Lisic`yan 1969: 270]; S�amaxi ha�k`i, ha�k` y i [Baɫranyan 1964:
185]; Meɫri he�g y in [Aɫayan 1954: 260a]; Kar‰ewan ha��g y in [H. Muradyan 1960:
188a]; Kak`avaberd ha��gin, in the village of Gudemnis ha��k` y u� [H. Muradyan 1967:
98, 116, 164a]; Are� ha�gi [Lusenc` 1982: 195a]; S�am�adin/ Dilij�an ha�k`i [Me�unc`
1989: 183a].
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