Proto-North Caucasian: *kunV ( ~ *kwVnV)
Meaning: thread
Notes: An Av.-And.-Tsez. isogloss. The shape of the word in PA (*ri-kun) suggests that it could have been a deverbal noun (although the original verb stem is not attested anywhere). If this is so, we could perhaps reconstruct a verbal root *=VkwV "to sew" and relate here also PEC *kwĕlʕV 'thread' q.v. (another deverbal noun - perhaps < *-Vkwel(H)V); cf. also the non-etymologized Ud. beIk 'needle'. One needs, however, more data to draw final conclusions. [Cf., perhaps, Rut. ṭ-u=ka- 'to knit' with an expressive preverb?]
