STUDIES IN ARMENIAN ETYMOLOGY - Get a Free Blog

On the problem of *-ln- > Arm. -ɫ- see op. cit. 242, as well as Clackson 1994: 21927
(with references). See also 2.1.22.8. Lindeman (1982: 40) argues against the
derivation of aɫa- from *h2l�-n-ə1- stating that aɫa- "may represent a pre-Armenian
(secondary) nasal present *alna�- (of the type seen in *barjnam > bar�nam) which has
ousted an earlier athematic present formation"; see also Clackson 1994: 92, 21928.
To aɫam : Gr. ������ `to grind' belong also aɫawri `mill; female grinder (of corn)' :
Gr. ��������� `woman who grinds corn' and alewr `flour' : Gr. �������� `id.' (see
s.v.v.). Hamp (1970: 228) points out the remarkable agreement of Armenian and
Greek in this whole family of formations of aɫam = ������, which recurs only in Indic
and Iranian. After a thorough analysis, however, Clackson (1994: 90-95) concludes
that "the Greek and Armenian derivatives from the root *al- do not appear to
represent common innovations but common survivals or parallel derivations. .
The scattered derivatives of this root in Indo-Iranian languages suggest that a number
of formations from the root *al- were at one time shared by the dialects ancestral to
Greek, Armenian and Indo-Iranian but were subsequently lost in most Indo-Iranian
languages". Apart from some details, on which see s.v.v. aɫawri and alewr, I
basically agree with this view.
aaaaɫawri ɫawri, ɫawri ɫawri ea-stem: GDSg aɫawrw-oy, GDPl aɫawr-eac` `mill; female grinder (of corn)'
(Bible+); [NHB 1: 48c; Clackson 1994: 92, 21931]; later: `tooth' (Grigor Narekac`i
63.2). For the possible evidence for Arm. *aɫawr `mill' see Clackson 1994: 21931.
In Jeremiah 52.11: i tun aɫo�reac` : ���� �������� ��������. Clackson (1994: 92)
points out that "the Armenian phrase could denote the house by its occupants". For
the passages from Ecclesiastes see Olsen 1999: 443510.
The meaning `tooth' is found in Grigor Narekac`i 63.2 (Xa‰`atryan/�azinyan
1985: 496 L46 ; Russ. transl. 1988: 203; Engl. transl. 2001: 301): Or tas patanekac`
aɫawris əmbo�xnelis : "Ты, что юным даешь зубы жующие" : "You, who gives the
chewing teeth to the young".
����ETYM ETYM Belongs with aɫam `to grind' (q.v.); cf. especially Gr. ��������� `woman who
grinds corn'. Usually derived from *h2(e)lh1trio- [Hamp 1970: 228; Greppin 1983:
269]. As is shown by Greppin (1983c; 1983: 269; 1986: 28827; see also Clackson
1994: 92), the frequently cited Gr. ���������� appears to be a ghost-word. As aɫawri
has an a-stem, one may reconsruct *h2(e)lh1-tr-ih2- (for discussion see Olsen 1999:
443-444, espec. 444511), or, perhaps better, *h2(e)lh1-tr-i(H)-eh2-. Normier (1980:
217) posits *h2lh1-tr-ih1ah2-, apparently with the dual *-ih1-. This is reminiscent of
Skt. ara�n�i- f. (usually in dual) `piece of wood used for kindling fire by attrition'
(RV+) [Mayrhofer, EWAia 1: 108]. See also s.v. erkan, i- and a-stem `mill'.
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