Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/ḳel-

This Proto-Kartvelian entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Kartvelian

Etymology 1

Root 1

*ḳel- : *ḳl-

to lack, to be short of something

Reconstruction notes

Despite Fähnrich-Sarǯvelaʒe deriving Mingrelian გიი-პ-კალ-იფ-ი (gii-ṗ-ḳal-ip-i, “[I] left (empty-handed)”) from this root, its basic meaning is "to empty, leave" rather than "to lack" (cf. კალ-იფ-უ-ა (ḳal-ip-u-a, “vacating, becoming empty”)).

The more likely, if only slightly unusual, Zan descendants are linked by Kiria. For that cognate set რკ- ← *კრ- ← *კლ- (rḳ- ← *ḳr- ← *ḳl-) process is to be assumed.

Descendants

Proto-Georgian-Zan:
- ⇒ Old Georgian: კლებაჲ (ḳlebay, “decline, decrease (in numbers)”), დაკლებაჲ (daḳlebay, “depriving, losing, loss”), მაკლს (maḳls, “[I] lack”)
- Zan:
  - ⇒ Laz: დორკინუ (dorǩinu, “decline, decrease”)
  - ⇒ Mingrelian: დორკაფა (dorḳapa, “depriving, losing, loss”)
⇒ Svan: ლიკლი (liḳli, “depriving, losing, loss”), ხოკლი (xoḳli, “[he, she, it] lacks (something)”)

Derived terms

⇒ Proto-Georgian-Zan: *m-ḳl-e- (“deprived, lacking, short”)
- Old Georgian: მოკლჱ (moḳlē, “short”)
  - Georgian: მოკლე (moḳle), მკლე (mḳle) — Khevsureti
- Zan:
  - Laz: მკულე (mǩule, “short”)
  - ⇒ Mingrelian: ხე-კულე (xe-ḳule, “deprived of hand(s)”)

Root 2

*ḳel- : *ḳl-

to be lame, limp

Descendants

Proto-Georgian-Zan:
- ⇒ Old Georgian: კელობაჲ (ḳelobay, “limping”), მკელობელი (mḳelobeli, “lame”), მკელობრებაჲ (mḳelobrebay, “lameness”)
- Zan: *ḳal-
  - →? Old Armenian: կաղ (kał)
⇒ Svan: მჷკლი (məḳli, “lame, limping”), იკლი (iḳli, “[he, she, it] limps”), ლა̈ჲკილა (läyḳila, “[he, she, it] limped”)

References

Brosset, M. (1834) “Aperçu général de la langue géorgienne”, in Journal asiatique (in French), volume 14, page 385 of 369–405
Klimov, G. A. (1998) Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages (Trends in linguistics. Documentation; 16), New York, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, page 89
Fähnrich, Heinz, Sarǯvelaʒe, Zurab (2000) Kartvelur enata eṭimologiuri leksiḳoni [Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages] (in Georgian), 2nd edition, Tbilisi: University Press, page 268
Fähnrich, Heinz (2007) Kartwelisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Kartvelian Etymological Dictionary] (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.18) (in German), Leiden, Boston: Brill, pages 227–228
Kiria, Č̣abuḳi, Ezugbaia, Lali, Memišiši, Omar, Čuxua, Merab (2015) Lazur-megruli gramaṭiḳa [Laz–Mingrelian Grammar] (in Georgian), Tbilisi: Gamomcemloba Meridiani, page 832
Thorsø, Rasmus (2023) Prehistoric loanwords in Armenian: Hurro-Urartian, Kartvelian, and the unclassified substrate‎^[1], PhD dissertation, Leiden University, page 54

Etymology 2

Root

*ḳel- : *ḳl-

to get stuck, crammed in

Descendants

Proto-Georgian-Zan:
- ⇒ Georgian: დაკელვა (daḳelva, “to press, twist together”)
- Zan:
  - ⇒ Mingrelian: დონკალუა (donḳalua, “stuffing, cramming full”)
⇒ Svan: ხენკე̄ლი (xenḳēli, “[it's] stuck, crammed, imprisoned”), ხენკლი (xenḳli)

References

Čuxua, Merab (2000–2003) Kartvelur ena-ḳilota šedarebiti leksiḳoni [The Kartvelian Comparative Dictionary] (in Georgian), Tbilisi: Universali, page 171
Fähnrich, Heinz (2007) Kartwelisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Kartvelian Etymological Dictionary] (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.18) (in German), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 227