Proto-Lezghian: *s:iʎ:ʷV-
Meaning: 1 to sift 2 sieve
Lezghian: saf 2
Tabasaran: sif 2
Agul: zu-r-fi- 1
Rutul: sixʷ 2
Tsakhur: wex:ʷa 2
Comment: The verb is preserved only in Agul /Burshag dialect/; the noun 'sieve' in Agul is a later derivate (Rich. sirfel, Bursh., Burk. zerfel, Fit. zarfil). All other languages (except Tsakhur) have preserved only the PL derivate *s:iʎ:ʷ 'sieve' (besides the forms listed cf. also Lezg. Khl. sef, Akht. sef, Tab. Düb. sif:i, Khür. s:if:, Rut. Khniukh suf, Ams. süx). Most languages reflect the form with an old preverb *s:-; the only exception is Tsakh. w-ex:ʷa ( < *w-äʎ:ʷaj with another prefix and Ablaut), pointing to an original verbal root *ʔiʎ:ʷV ( / *ʔäʎ:ʷV) 'to sift'.
See Талибов 1980, 314.
