Notes: The etymology is plausible both semantically and phonetically. Medial *-r- in PN is probably secondary (from a former obl. stem - *kars < *kas-rV-).
Notes: Reconstructed for the PEC level. Correspondences are regular. The word often serves as first part of compounds, see under *HɫuŁV̄,*xaɫV,*χĕɫHe. In some cases it is hard to establish the etymology of the compound's second element (because of contractions and irregular transformations): this is the case with Av. Chad. kʷe-ʁ 'mitten', PA *kʷo-χa id., PGB *ko-sa (Gunz., Bezht. kosa) id.; Lak. kaṭa (Khosr. kʷaṭa; > Arch. kʷaṭi) 'glove', Darg. Chir. kuṭa 'mitten' (probably also < Lak.). Darg. preserves the root only within the compound *kʷi-leχ:a 'bracelet' (see under *lĕχ_V).
Despite several attempts (Trubetzkoy 1930, Abdokov 1983) no secure WC parallels for this root can be observed.
Notes: The comparison is quite plausible both phonetically and semantically. In Inkh. the initial ḳ- is a result of assimilation ( < *k-), as is clearly seen from other evidence (the same process happened in Ud. and Abkh.).
Notes: Reconstructed for the PEC level. The appearance of -m- in PN (also in some plural forms in Andian and Darg. languages) is caused by secondary labialisation of the Inlaut combination. The vowel in Tsez. (Gin.) is irregular, and it is probable that the Gin. form is, in fact, an Avar loanword. The word means uniformly 'ram', thus the meaning 'young goat' in PL (where the form has a suffixed, possibly originally plural, *-r) is secondary.
Notes: Reconstructed for the PEC level. The word seems to be genuine at least in Ing., PL (where regular phonetic development took place) and Laki (the Lak. word has a tense -c:- which can not be explained if we assume a loan from Av., Darg. or Lezg. kuc).
The Laki form (with regular weakening *kuc: > kuc) is the most probable source for Avar kuc 'measure, form; face' (whence Akhv. (cited from Khaidakov 1973) kuči 'face'), and for Darg. kuc 'appearance, form, build' (identical in all dialects: Ak., Ur., Muir., Sirg., Kub., Tsud. kuc).
Notes: Both phonetically and semantically the etymology is quite satisfactory. As usual, in a root containing two stops there occur assimilations and dissimilations (PTs *kʷid < *kʷiṭ; PL *ḳurṭaj < *kurṭaj). The PWC form goes back rather to a form like *kɨ̄rṭwā (with shift of labialisation).
The only strange phenomenon is the uvular pharyngealized q̇I- in Lak. (and a similar form in Rut.); reasons for such a development are unclear, but it is hard to keep the Lak. and Rut. forms away from the rest.
Notes: Reconstructed for the PEC level. There are interesting similar forms in Romance languages: cf. Span. cántaro 'big jar, measure of weight', cántara 'mug', Port. cântaro 'big jar; measure of liquids ( about 16.8 litres)'.
Notes: The root is not widely spread outside the Av.-Andian area, but the correspondences (both semantic and phonetic) are regular, and the NC reconstruction seems probable.
Notes: The vocalic reconstruction is not very certain because of labialisation shifts; length is postulated primarily on basis of WC evidence (if the PAA voiced stops really go back to strong stops in PWC). Consonantal correspondences are more or less regular (we should mention only the regressive assimilation in Av.-And.-Tsez. and the delabialisation of the dental stop in PWC: rather frequent phenomena in roots consisting of two stops). Note that Arch. kūṭa- 'short' is obviously a Lak. loan.
Phonetically a perfect match is Khin. ḳuṭa 'puppy'; since it has no other etymology, it may ultimately belong here, too.
Both meanings - simply 'short' and 'short-eared (animal)' must be postulated already for PEC, since they keep appearing in different subgroups. However, it is hard to reconstruct a definite meaning for PNC (was it 'short' or a 'short-horned animal' or both?).
Notes: Reconstructed for the PEC level. The root must have denoted some scythe-like tool for mowing grass. It also denotes the process of mowing (in PTs), and the result of mowing (stripe of mown grass) in PN. The vocalic reconstruction is not quite certain, because of variation in PTs and insufficiency of data in other subgroups.
Notes: An interesting common NC term (although within the data listed there may still be a number of old interlanguage borrowings). The long root structure, of course, is in Caucasian languages very favourable for metatheses, which we observe here in many cases.
We can also mention a quite alone-standing form: Khin. ḳinaz 'grape'. It resembles most the Nakh forms (especially Bacb.), and may be a trace of old Khin.-Nakh contacts. Also borrowed from some neighbour languages (with distortions) are probably some words for 'strawberry' in Andian languages: Cham. q:ermužuq̇: (Gig. q:erbuši), Inkh. χilbač. {The word is found also in Arab. and Berber, see ND 945}.
