խօզ

Old Armenian

Alternative forms

Etymology

The original spelling is խաւզ (xawz). Usually considered a word of unknown origin.[1][2][3] Related to Old Georgian მხავსი (mxavsi), Georgian ხავსი (xavsi, moss), which Ačaṙyan derives from Armenian.[1]

Probably an Iranian borrowing: compare Persian خزه (xaze, moss), Northern Kurdish kevz (moss; water moss), Central Kurdish قەوزە (qewze, algae) and Zazaki hewz (green). Compare also Ossetian хӕфс (xæfs, frog), from Proto-Iranian *kacyápah. For the association of "moss" and "algae" with "frog" compare Persian جل‌وزغ (jol-vazaġ, alga, literally toad-clothes), جلبک (jolbak, alga, literally frog-clothes), چغزواره (čaġzvâre, water moss, literally frog-cover), Kermanic بژه (baža, moss, algae) (from جلبژه (*jol-baža, literally frog-clothes)[4] and Armenian գորտնբուրդ (gortnburd, algae, literally frog-wool), գորտնխալի (gortnxali, algae, literally frog-carpet).

Noun

խօզ • (xōz)

  1. aquatic moss, duckweed or the like

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Middle Armenian: խօզ (xōz), ղօզ (ġōz)
  • ? Old Georgian: მხავსი (mxavsi)
    • Georgian: ხავსი (xavsi), ფხავსი (pxavsi)Guria, Chveneburi
      • Bats: ხავს (xavs)
      • Svan: ხაუ̂ის (xaûis), ხაუ̂იზ (xaûiz)
      • Tsakhur: хавсий (ꭓavsʲī)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “խօզ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume II, Yerevan: University Press, page 432b
  2. ^ Martirosyan, Hrach (2009) “Armenian mawr ‘mud, marsh’ and its hydronimical value”, in Aramazd: Armenian journal of Near Eastern studies[1], volume 4, number 1, pages 73–85 and 179–180
  3. ^ J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “խօզ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik
  4. ^ Asatrian, Garnik (2011) A Comparative Vocabulary of Central Iranian Dialects[2] (in Persian), Tehran: Safir Ardehal Publications, pages 76–77

Further reading

  • Thorsø, Rasmus (2023) Prehistoric loanwords in Armenian: Hurro-Urartian, Kartvelian, and the unclassified substrate[3], PhD dissertation, Leiden University, page 86