Dargwa etymology : List with all references

Proto-North Caucasian: *ɦĕrVcwĭ

Meaning: silver

Proto-Avaro-Andian: *ʔorci

Proto-Tsezian: *ʔɔs(:) ( ~ ħ-)

Proto-Lak: arcu

Proto-Dargwa: *ʔarc

Proto-Lezghian: *ʔars(a)

Proto-West Caucasian: *rV[š́ʷ]Vnǝ

Notes: An interesting cultural term - despite some phonetic problems, undoubtedly common NC. Cf. also Hurr. ošχo(-ne) / ušχu(-ne) 'silver' (see Diakonoff-Starostin 1986, 46-47), where -šχ- regularly goes back to the cluster *-rc-. The early PHU form *Hwercχ- (reflecting an intermediate stage in the process *-rc- > *-rcχ- > *-cχ-) was borrowed in Proto-Kartvelian as *werc̥1̇χl- (the comparison of PK, PWC and PEC forms was first suggested in Charaya 1912, 11). A similar form exists also in Semitic (Proto-Semitic *ḥrṣ); it is therefore impossible to suggest a simple loan from Indo-European *rǵnto- in Caucasian languages - to say nothing of enormous phonetic problems arising with this supposition. Although some Caucasian forms may have experienced Indo-European (Indo-Iranian) influence (see above in the WC section), it seems rather more probable that PIE had borrowed this archaic Near Eastern root, which on Indo-European ground had contaminated with the pure Indo-European root *Har(ǝ)ǵ- 'light, white'. The root reveals a "floating" labialisation: some forms are best explained by a protoform *ɦĕrVcwĭ (PL, with spirantization of *-c-, PWC), some - by *ɦwĕrVcĭ (Av.-And., PD, HU). It is interesting to note the Ossetian name of 'silver': ävzīst / ävzestä (having penetrated into Fenno-Ugric: Udm. azveś, Komi ezyś, Hung. ezüst, see Abayev 1958, 213). The Indo-European etymology of this word (see ibid.), belonging to Petersson, is very dubious, and it can also have a NC source (reflecting the original labialisation).

Finally it is interesting to note the similarity of this root and PNC *rĕwcwĭ 'gold, red copper' (q.v.): perhaps it is possible to think of an archaic word-derivation with a laryngeal prefix.

Avar-Andian etymology :

Protoform: *ʔorci

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: silver

Avar: ʕarác

Chadakolob: ʕaráš

Andian language: orsi

Akhvakh: arči / ači

Chamalal: as

Tindi: asi

Karata: ʕarse

Botlikh: arsi

Bagvalal: as / ars (Tlond.)

Godoberi: ʕarsi

Comments: Avar has an exceptional accent paradigm (gen. ʕárcu-l, Chad. ʕárši-l / ʕáršu-l). Cf. also Akhv. Tseg. ʕači, Tlan. ʕarči, Ratl. arči, Cham. Gig. asi. Av. > Bagv. Tlis. arc.

Tsezian etymology :

Proto-Tsezian: *ʔɔs(:) ( ~ ħ-)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: silver

Khvarshi: os

Inkhokvari: os

Comments: PTsKh *ʔos.

Lak etymology :

Lak root: arcu

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: silver

Lak form: arcu

Comments: Cf. Khosr. arcu id.

Lezghian etymology :

Proto-Lezghian: *ʔars(a)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: silver

Tabasaran: ars

Agul: ars

Archi: arsi

Comment: All forms point to weak *-s- in PL (cf. also Tab. Düb. ars), thus Ag. Bursh. ars: (MSU recording) must be a misspelling (cf. ars in Shaumyan's recordings). 4th class in Archi.

See Бокарев 1961, 60; Лексика 1971, 191; Гигинейшвили 1977, 68.

Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology :

Proto-West-Caucasian: *rV[š́ʷ]Vnǝ

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: silver

Abkhaz: a-raʒnǝ́

Abaza: rǝzna

Adyghe: tǝž́ǝnǝ

Kabardian: dǝźǝn

Ubykh: dašʷanǝ́

Comments: PAT *raʒ́ǝnǝ (cf. also Bzyb. a-rǝʒ́nǝ́); PAK *t:ǝž́ǝnǝ́. The correspondence PAT *ʒ́ : PAK *ž́ : Ub. šʷ is quite irregular. It is possible that the original form *rVš́ʷVnǝ (regularly preserved in Ub. as dašʷanǝ́) was modified in PAK and PAT, perhaps, under the influence of Iranian forms ( *arzata-/*razata- < PIE *rǵnto-): the WC forms can reflect an original variation *rVʒ́Vnǝ (>PAT) / *rVǯ́Vnǝ (>PAK).