Proto-North Caucasian: *lĭwŁĔ / *ŁĭwlV̆
Meaning: man, male
Notes: Cf. also Hurr. tur-oχχǝ 'male' (with a regular reflex t- < *l-, -r- < *-Ł-), see Diakonoff-Starostin 1986, 52. The meaning 'man' changed to ethnonym 'Laki' in Lak. (typologically a frequent phenomenon).
This root may have something to do with the PN and PAA words for 'slave' (if we assume that a self-denomination for Eastern Daghestan dwellers *lak:(V) could be borrowed by the Nakh and through them, possibly, by Western Caucasians with the meaning 'slave'): PN *lag (Chech., Ing. laj, Bacb. lag), PAA *lǝgǝ (Abkh. a-lǝ́g, Abaz. lǝg). Since these words have a velar, they can not be connected with another EC name for 'slave', Av. laʁ etc. (see on its possible origin under *ʔV̄ƛ̣V).
Of obvious Caucasian origin is Osset. läg 'man, male' (see Abayev 1973, 20).
