North Caucasian etymology :

Proto-North Caucasian: *qāmVc̣V / *GāmVc̣V

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: ant; grasshopper

Proto-Nakh: *qēc̣- (~ -ʒ-)

Proto-Avaro-Andian: *ʁamc̣a

Proto-Tsezian: *χ:ɔ̃c̣ǝ A

Proto-Lak: qac̣

Proto-Lezghian: *qamc̣(ä) / *q̇amc̣(a)

Proto-West Caucasian: *q:amǝʒa-

Notes: An expressive (like most names of insects) and widely spread common NC root. Inspite of some phonetic variation (especially irregular is the PTs form), it seems worth reconstructing for PNC.

Nakh etymology :

Proto-Nakh: *qēc̣- (~ -ʒ-)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: bug, bed-bug

Chechen: qīzig

Comments: Attested only in Chech., but having probable external parallels.

Avar-Andian etymology :

Protoform: *ʁamc̣a

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 grasshopper, locust 2 dragonfly

Andian language: ʁac̣a 1

Akhvakh: ʁač̣a 1

Chamalal: ʁanc̣a 1

Tindi: ʁarc̣a 1

Karata: ʁac̣a 1

Godoberi: ʁac̣a 2

Comments: Cf. also God. Zib. ʁanc̣a 'dragonfly'. A variant *qamc̣a (with voiceless *q-) is reflected in Cham. Gig. χanza 'grasshopper'.

Tsezian etymology :

Proto-Tsezian: *χ:ɔ̃c̣ǝ A

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: grasshopper

Tsezi: χoc̣i

Ginukh: χoc̣e

Bezhta: χac̣o

Gunzib: χɔ̃c̣ǝ

Comments: PTsKh *χoc̣ǝ (~ -õ-), PGB *χɔ̃c̣ǝ.

Lak etymology :

Lak root: qac̣

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: locust

Lak form: qac̣

Comments: Cf. Khosr. qʷac̣ id. The Khosr. dialect has also qʷarč 'grasshopper'; its relationship to this root is unclear (it could be a contamination of qʷac̣ with the reflex of PEC *χwĕrćV q.v. - which should have been *χ:ʷarč or *harč).

Lezghian etymology :

Proto-Lezghian: *qamc̣(a) / *q̇amc̣(a)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 grasshopper 2 gadfly

Tabasaran: uḳan q̇Ianc: 1

Agul: q̇ac̣rak 2 (Bursh.)

Archi: apal-χac̣i 1

Comment: The word is contaminating with the PL root for 'tongs' q.v. (Tab. uḳan q̇Ianc: means literally 'grass tongs'). Although this is obviously a folk-etymology, it creates problems for the precise reconstruction of the PL form.

Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology :

Proto-West-Caucasian: *q:amǝʒa-

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 ant 2 ant-hill

Adyghe: q:āmzagʷ 1

Kabardian: q:ānʒagʷ 2

Comments: PAK *q:amʒá-gʷǝ (*-gʷǝ is probably 'middle, location').

Sino-Caucasian etymology :

Proto-Sino-Caucasian: *qāmsṭV̆́

Meaning: ant, grasshopper, etc.

Borean etymology: Borean etymology

North Caucasian: *qāmVc̣V / *GāmVc̣V

Sino-Tibetan: *KV̆m ( ~ Q-)

Yenisseian: *qǝnte (~χ-)

Sino-Tibetan etymology :

Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *K[ŏ]m ( ~ Q-)

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: a k. of insect (cricket, locust)

Chinese: 蛩 *g_oŋ cricket.

Kachin: diŋgam¹ locusts.

Chinese characters :

Character: 蛩

Modern (Beijing) reading: qióng

Preclassic Old Chinese: g(h)oŋ

Classic Old Chinese: g(h)oŋ

Western Han Chinese: g(h)oŋ

Eastern Han Chinese: g(h)oŋ

Early Postclassic Chinese: g(h)oŋ

Middle Postclassic Chinese: g(h)oŋ

Late Postclassic Chinese: g(h)oŋ

Middle Chinese: göuŋ

English meaning : cricket

Russian meaning[s]: 1) саранча; 2) сверчок

Sino-Tibetan etymology: Sino-Tibetan etymology

Radical: 142

Four-angle index: 8754

Karlgren code: 1172 |e ́

Yenisseian etymology :

Proto-Yenisseian: *qǝnte (~χ-)

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: ant

Ket: qъ̄nt / qъ̄nte¹, pl. qъ̄nten¹ / qъ̄ntenǝŋ¹

Yug: xъntɨ¹, pl. xъntɨnɨŋ¹

Comments: ССЕ 259. Werner 2, 149.

Long-range etymologies :

Borean (approx.) : KVMCV

Meaning : ant, insect

Afroasiatic : *ḳVc-am/n-

Sino-Caucasian : *(x)qāmsṭV̆́

Amerind (misc.) : *kaci 'ant' (R 8)

Afroasiatic etymology :

Proto-Afro-Asiatic: *ḳVc-am/n-

Meaning: locust; ant; larva

Borean etymology: Borean etymology

Semitic: *ḳVṣam- 'locust, (locust) larva'

Central Cushitic (Agaw): *ḳiC̣- 'worm'

Low East Cushitic: *ḳuC̣aC̣/n- 'ant'

High East Cushitic: *ḳissan- 'spider'

Warazi (Dullay): *kuč̣ač̣- 'small ants'

Dahalo (Sanye): ḳúci 'bee larva'

Omotic: *ḳaC̣/s- 'red ant' 1, 'black ant' 2, 'louse' 3

Notes: Cf. *ḳʷVṭVn/m- 'small insect, worm'. Cf. Lamb Wol 428; 380

Semitic etymology :

Number: 2469

Proto-Semitic: *ḳVṣVm-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: locust, (locust) larva

Ugaritic: ḳṣm 'saltamontes' [DLU 375]. In 1.3 II 10 (ʕlh kʔirbym kp // kḳṣm ɣrmn kp mhr 'palms of the hand above her like locusts // palms of the hands of warriors below her like grasshoppers in swarm (?)'). Alternative proposals quoted in [DLU] look by far less attractive.

Arabic: ḳaṣam- 'oeufs de sauterelles' [BK 2 755], [Fr. III 457], [Q II 166], ḳaṣām- 'sauterelle' [Dozy II 368] (only in Saadiya's translation of Ps 78.46, = Hbr. ḥāsīl).

Amharic: ḳǝč̣am 'nit, louse' [K 844].

Notes: Cf. Sab. mḳṣm treated in detail in [Sima 130]: "Das Nomen mḳṣm, das offensichtlich eine Art von landwirtschaftlichen Schaden bezeichnet, wurde zu unterschiedlichen Wurzeln gestellt ... Etymologie und genaue Bedeutung bleiben daher offen". Since the Sab. term occurs in RES 4230 C/2 side by side with ḳlm-m 'insect pest', it is tempting to connect it with the present root (mḳṣ-m, with metathesis). Cf. semantically close terms united under ..., No. ..., likely related to the present root by metathesis. [DLU 375]: Ugr., Arb.

Central Cushitic (Agaw) etymology :

Proto-Agaw: *ḳič-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'worm'

Bilin: ḳešaa

Khamir: ḥesaa

Qwara: cešii

Dembea: cesee

Qemant: cǝsaa

Low East Cushitic etymology :

Proto-Low East Cushitic: *ḳuC̣aC̣/n-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'ant'

Somali: quḍaan-ǯo 'black ants'

Konso: quǯaǯee-ta 'ant'

High East Cushitic etymology :

Proto-High East Cushitic: *ḳissan-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'spider'

Darasa (Gedeo): ḳissan-e

Kambatta: ḳissoonna-ta

Notes: HEC 140

Warazi etymology :

Proto-Warazi: *kuṭaṭ- (<*guṭaṭ- ?)

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'small ants'

Gawwada (Gawata): kuč̣ač̣e

Dahalo etymology :

Dahalo: ḳúci

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'bee larva'

Notes: EEN 19

Omotic etymology :

Proto-Omotic: *ḳaC̣/s-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'red ant' 1, 'black ant' 2, 'louse' 3

Ometo: Kachama ḳac̣o 2

Wolamo (Wolaitta): ḳaac̣uwa 1

Kafa (Kaficho): ḳaač̣o 1

Ari: ḳasa 3

Notes: Lmb Wol 428

Total pages generated Pages generated by this script 816227 4114792	Help
StarLing database server Powered by CGI scripts Copyright 1998-2003 by S. Starostin Copyright 1998-2003 by G. Bronnikov Copyright 2005-2014 by Phil Krylov