Proto-West-Caucasian: *ʒ́V
Meaning: 1 to hide, conceal 2 secret
Abkhaz: a-ʒa-rá 1
Abaza: ʒa-ra 1
Kabardian: bzǝ-ṣ́ǝ-n 1
Ubykh: wa(n)ʒ́á 2
Comments: PAT *ʒ́a- (cf. also Bzyb. a-ʒ́a-rá), *ma-ʒ́a 'secret' (Abkh. á-maʒa, Bzyb. á-maʒ́a, Abaz. maʒa). In Ub. variants wa(n)ʒ́á and wIa(n)ǯá are attested; wa- here can be treated as a prefix meaning 'to do, execute'. The Kab. word means literally 'to make (-ṣ́ǝ-n) a secret (bzǝ-)'. See Shagirov 1,97.
PAT *ʒ́a- can, in fact, reflect a merger of two WC roots: cf. also *ć:ǝ- > Ub. wǝ-ćǝ- 'to steal' (perhaps also -pś- in Kab. ʁa-pś-ḳʷǝ-n 'to hide'?).
