Proto-North Caucasian: *bVrḳwV
Meaning: enclosure; frame, staircase
Notes: Reconstructed for the PEC level. For the semantics in Laki cf. the meaning 'funeral stretcher' in some Andian languages ('funeral stretcher' > 'funeral device' > 'tomb-stone'). One could also compare Gunz. bɔḳi 'enclosure for cattle'; there is, however, a possibility of its being borrowed from Georgian: cf. Georg. baḳi, Zan. baḳi 'enclosure for cattle' (compared by Kuipers 1960 with Kab. baq 'enclosure', which is phonetically improbable). This Kartvelian root itself may be connected historically with PEC *bVrḳwV.