xhuxhmaxhuxh

Albanian

FWOTD – 22 October 2023

Alternative forms

  • xhuxh ma xhuxh, xhuxh-ma-xhuxh
  • xhuxhimâxhuxhGheg, archaic

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish یأجوج و مأجوج (yeʼcuc ve meʼcuc, Gog and Magog),[1] crossed with xhuxh (dwarf) and often reanalysed as literally meaning some sort of dwarf more dwarf, or [even] shorter dwarf.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /d͡ʒud͡ʒmaˈd͡ʒud͡ʒ/
  • Rhymes: -ud͡ʒ

Noun

xhuxhmaxhuxh m (plural xhuxhmaxhuxhë)

  1. (folklore) dwarf, gnome
    Synonym: xhuxh
    • 2011, Janaq Pani, “Një xhuxhmaxhuxh”, in www.zemrashqiptare.net[1], archived from the original on 7 September 2023, lines 1–2:
      Një xhuxhmaxhuxh takoj një herë / që rrinte qetë nën një zambak []
      I ran into a dwarf once, / who was sitting quitely under a lily []
  2. short-legged person, shorty, midget
    Synonyms: shkurtabiq, xhuxh

Declension

Declension of xhuxhmaxhuxh
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative xhuxhmaxhuxh xhuxhmaxhuxhi xhuxhmaxhuxhë xhuxhmaxhuxhët
accusative xhuxhmaxhuxhin
dative xhuxhmaxhuxhi xhuxhmaxhuxhit xhuxhmaxhuxhëve xhuxhmaxhuxhëve
ablative xhuxhmaxhuxhësh

Adjective

xhuxhmaxhuxh (feminine xhuxhmaxhuxhe)

  1. short, short-legged
    Synonyms: xhuxh, i shkurtër, shkurtabiq

References

  1. ^ Bufli, G., Rocchi, L. (2021) “xhuxhmaxhuxh”, in A historical-etymological dictionary of Turkisms in Albanian (1555–1954), Trieste: Edizioni Università di Trieste, page 516

Further reading

  • FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎[2], 1980, page 2202
  • Jungg, G. (1895) “gugimâguug”, in Fialuur i voghel sccȣp e ltinisct [Small Albanian–Italian dictionary], page 186
  • Topalli, Kolec (2017) “xhuxhmaxhuxh”, in Fjalor Etimologjik i Gjuhës Shqipe [Etymological Dictionary of the Albanian Language] (in Albanian), Durrës, Albania: Jozef, page 1606