ձագ

Inherited from Old Armenian ձագ (jag).

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /d͡zɑkʰ/, [d͡zɑkʰ]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /t͡sɑk/, [t͡sʰɑkʰ]

• Audio (Eastern Armenian):

  (file)

ձագ • (jag)

1. the young of any animal, baby animal, especially the young of a bird
2. (figurative, endearing) human baby
3. swarm of bees that leaves the hive to form a new family

   ձագուց մեղր, ձագոց մեղր ― jagucʻ meġr, jagocʻ meġr ― honey produced by this young hive, which is highly valued

• → Cappadocian Greek: ζάκα (záka)
• → Northern Kurdish: sak
• → Turkish: sak

• Malxaseancʻ, Stepʻan (1944–1945) “ձագ”, in Hayerēn bacʻatrakan baṙaran [Armenian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: State Publishing House

Usually compared to Albanian zog (“bird; nestling”), Persian زاق (zâq, “the young of anything”), Sogdian [script needed] (zʾk /⁠zāk⁠/, “child”) and Classical Syriac ܙܓܐ (zāggā) either as an inheritance from a Proto-Indo-European root of the unusual shape *ǵʰāgʰ- or the like, or a borrowing from Iranian. As has been pointed out, զ- (z-) would be expected in case of an Iranian borrowing.

More likely borrowed from the cognate of the mentioned Syriac word, namely Aramaic זגא (zāḡā, “young cock or hen”) (absolute form זג (zāḡ)), whence Assyrian Neo-Aramaic ܙܓܐ (zāḡā, “offspring, young of an animal, especially chick”). For the ձ- (j-) in Semitic borrowings compare ձէթ (jētʻ). Note also Mingrelian ძოკი (ʒoḳi) and its Abkhaz descendants with the same affricate.

ձագ • (jag)

1. youngling, nestling

   Synonym: կոտիկ (kotik)

   • 5th century, with changes and additions in later centuries, Baroyaxōs [Physiologus] Earliest recension (TR).7.2–3:^[1]

     Բարուախաւսն ասէ զհաւալուսն, թէ կարի որդեսէր է․ եւ յորժամ հանէ զձագսն, եւ սակաւիկ մի աճեն, ապտակեն զերեսս հաւրն եւ մաւրն։

     Baruaxawsn asē zhawalusn, tʻē kari ordesēr ē; ew yoržam hanē zjagsn, ew sakawik mi ačen, aptaken zeress hawrn ew mawrn.

     • Translation by Gohar Muradyan

       Physiologus says about the pelican that it is an extraordinary lover of its young. And when it brings forth nestlings and they grow a bit, they slap their father and mother on the face.

2. little bird, sparrow

• Armenian: ձագ (jag)
  • → Cappadocian Greek: ζάκα (záka)
  • → Northern Kurdish: sak
  • → Turkish: sak