PROTO: *marč-
MEANING: 1 pruning hook (for a vine dresser) 2 tongs, pincers (for harvesting or opening chestnuts) 3 fork 4 forked, cleft 5 prop, strut (for holding weak branches up) 6 machete (large knife)
GIP: matxarde 2, matxite 6, (Beterri) matxarda 2, (Andoain) matxar 2
ANV: matxarde 5, matxite 6, (Lezaka) matxarde 2
BNV: martxite 1, matxarde 2, 4, 5
LAB: matxarde 3, 5
BZT: matxarde 2
ZBR: matxárde 2, matxite 6
RNC: (Uztárroz) matxar 2, matxarde 5
COMMENTS: Bsq > Span. machete. The latter, or the Bsq words above, are not plausibly related to Sp. macho 'sledge hammer, anvil' (< Lat. marculus 'small hammer'), since there is no semantic similarity of 'fork, hook, tong' with 'hammer'. PNC *mirć(w)Ē, with the meaning 'sickle' in Tsezian and Circassian, is semantically compatible, especially, with Bsq martxite 'pruning hook'. For the element *-arde cf. Bsq *śaɦarde 'fork', etc.
