Proto-West-Caucasian: *bǝq̇V-wǝ (~-ǝ̃-)
Meaning: 1 post, log, pile 2 pilaster, post, pillar
Abkhaz: a-bǝ́q̇ʷ
Adyghe: p:q:aw
Kabardian: pq:ow, bǝq:ow
Comments: PAT *bVq̇ʷǝ (cf. also Bz. a-báq̇ʷ); PAK *bǝq̇:á-wǝ / *p:q:á-wǝ. Despite Klimov (1968, 292) there are no reasons to consider the Abkhaz form an Adygh loan. Kumakhov's etymology (1964,126) - PAK *b(ǝ)q:áwǝ from *p:q:ǝ 'corpus, skeleton' - seems dubious, first of all because of the Kab. form bǝq:ow (there's no parallel form *bǝq:ǝ 'skeleton' in Kab.). Very dubious is the comparison with Ub. bǝq̇Iʷ 'thick' (Shagirov 2, 47).
Since there is no Ub. cognate, it is impossible to determine whether the first vowel in PWC was nasalized or not. Somewhat unclear is the status of the PAK *-wǝ: it is either a suffix (in this case *bǝq:áwǝ < *bǝq:ʷá-wǝ), or part of the root which has yielded labialisation in Abkh. (*bVq̇ʷǝ < *bVq̇ǝwǝ).
