Protoform: *Hirc̣:V- / *c̣:u(r)-
Meaning: 1 to settle (of liquids) 2 to strain, filter,press
Avar: c̣:u- 2
Andian language: c̣:ur-d- 2
Tindi: hec:- 1
Karata: erc̣:- 1
Godoberi: c:ur- 2
Comments: The PA stem I *Hirc̣:V- is intransitive, stem II *c̣:u(r)- - transitive. In Avar, besides c̣:u- 'to strain', cf. also c̣:a- 'to pull; to sip, to smoke' (and a frequentative form c̣:ac̣:á- id. = Chad. c̣uc̣ú- 'to suck') - which may be a contamination of this root and PA *c̣:a- 'to drink' q.v. Stem I is reflected in Av. as =ec̣:- 'to drip; be strained, filtered'.
The verbal root is the basis for several nominal derivates:
1) PA *Hirc̣:i 'whey' (*'settled, strained liquid'): Cham. eṣ (Gig. hec̣:i), Tind. hec:a, Kar. erc̣:e, Bagv. erc̣:, God. erc:i (not clear is the And. form Gerc̣:i - the first consonant is quite irregular);
2) *c̣:urV > Av. c̣:urá 'filter'.
Cf., perhaps, also Av. c̣:álḳ- 'to sift' (Chad. c̣aḳ-), c̣:alḳú 'sieve' (Chad. c̣áḳur), which may be a further derivate with a -ḳ-suffix (although there are phonetic problems with this hypothesis).
