North Caucasian etymology : List with all references

Proto-North Caucasian: *ʔw(i)nĭrcĔ

Meaning: a k. of insect, moth

Proto-Nakh: *naci

Proto-Avaro-Andian: *risV

Proto-Lak: nuwca

Proto-Dargwa: *ʕems:

Proto-Lezghian: *ʔIʷins / *ʔIʷirs

Proto-West Caucasian: *ʒ́ǝ

Notes: A very complicated case. All languages of Daghestan explicitly reflect the labialised *cw (correspondence Av. c : PA *s : Lak c(ʷ) : PD *s: : PL *-s). The Nakh and PWC forms, however, reflect a simple *c (otherwise PN would have *č, and PWC - *šʷ). The reason is obviously a secondary labialisation in EC, due to the labialising influence of *ʔw (labialisation is also indirectly reflected in PD -m-, assimilated from -n-). The root must have contained both a nasal (cf. forms like PN *nace, Lak. nuwca, PD *ʕems:, Arch. winisi) and a liquid resonant (cf. PA *risV and most Lezghian forms). However, a disyllabic protoform *ʔwnĭrcĔ or *ʔwrĭncĔ would give quite different reflexes in most languages (see phonetic tables). We must, therefore, suppose a protoform like *ʔwinĭrcĔ to account for all the complexity of development. The trisyllabic Archi form winisi thus appears to be an archaism, directly reflecting the PNC root structure.

The root as such is not reflected in PTs (we should expect something like *rizV or *rɨzV). There exists, however, a PC root *rɨcV(nV) (Tsez. recenjo, Gin. recen 'ant', Bezht. rica, Gunz. rɨcǝ 'tick'). It can be an indirect reflex of the same EC root, modified under the influence of other insect names like PTs *nɔcǝ 'louse' or *hũcV 'ant'.

Nakh etymology :

Proto-Nakh: *naci

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: moth

Chechen: neca

Ingush: neca

Comments: Cf. also Cheb. nace, Shar. naca, Khild. necĭ etc. 6th class in Chech., Ing.

Avar-Andian etymology :

Protoform: *risV

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: moth

Avar: ic

Chadakolob: iš

Andian language: resi

Akhvakh: reša / reše

Chamalal: jes, jesila

Tindi: resi

Karata: resa

Botlikh: resa

Bagvalal: resa

Godoberi: resa

Comments: Av. paradigm B or C (erg. icí-c:a); but Chad. A (gen. íši-l). This is one of the few cases of the correspondence Av. c : PA *s (reflecting earlier labialisation). The MSU recordings have -s:- in Tind. and Cham., which is obviously a mistake (to judge from external evidence). Cf. also Cham. Gig. resi, resila (misspelled in the MSU recordings as res:i, res:ila).

Lak etymology :

Lak root: nuwca

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: moth

Lak form: nuwca

Comments: Cf. Khosr. nuc id. An old Lak. loanword is Arch. nibsu 'moth'.

Dargwa etymology :

Proto-Dargwa: *ʕems:

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: moth

Akusha: ʕems

Comments: Cf. also Ur. ims id.

Lezghian etymology :

Proto-Lezghian: *ʔIʷins / *ʔIʷirs

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 moth 2 bug, bed-bug

Tabasaran: sur 1

Agul: urs (Fit.) 1

Rutul: jis 1

Tsakhur: sus 1

Archi: winisi 2

Comment: Cf. also Tab. Düb. sur, Ag. Bursh. sür (reflecting a metathesis < *ʔIʷirs, cf. the Fit. form urs). The Tsakh. form is reduplicated. We can suspect that the Shakhdagh languages (now having a loanword from Azer.: Kryz giwä, Bud. güwä) once also had a reduplicated form *sus ( < *sʷirs), that was borrowed and remains in Khin. sus "moth". 3d class in Rut., Tsakh. Oblique base *ʔIʷinse- (*ʔIʷirse-), cf. Tab. súri- (/surá-), Düb. sura-, Ag. Fit. ursu-, Bursh. süri-.

See Лексика 1971, 156.

Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology :

Proto-West-Caucasian: *ʒ́ǝ

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 flea 2 bee

Abkhaz: á-ʒ 1

Adyghe: bžǝ-ʒa 1

Kabardian: bžǝ-ʒa 1

Ubykh: ʒ́aʒ́ 2

Comments: PAT *ʒ́ǝ (cf. Bz. á-ʒ́); PAK *bžǝ-ʒá (etymology of *bžǝ- see under PNC *bēlǯwi). The Ub. form is reduplicated.

See Rogava 1956, 13 (listing, however, also Kab. bāʒa 'fly' which has nothing to do with this root); Shagirov 1, 91.