Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology : Query result

Proto-West-Caucasian: *pǝqʷV

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 plum 2 peach 3 fruit

Abkhaz: a-pħʷá/bħʷá 1

Adyghe: pχa- 1,3

Kabardian: pχa- 1,3

Ubykh: pqǝ 3

Comments: The PAK root *pχV- / *pχʷV- is present in several compounds: *pχa-gʷǝʎǝ 'wild plum' (Ad., Kab. pχagʷǝʎ), *pχa-śħamǝśħa 'fruit'. With labialisation cf. Shaps. pχʷǝ-śʷṭa 'plum', pχʷǝ-ca 'peach'. The PAK form *q:ǝ-ṗc̣á 'plum' (Ad., Kab. q:ǝṗc̣a) is probably a modification of *pχ(ʷ)ǝ-ṗc̣a under influence of PAK *q:ǝcá 'peach' which has a separate etymology (q.v.).

In Ub. the root means 'a k. of big plum'.

The WC languages have yet another root with close meaning, but without the initial labial: cf. Abaz. ħʷa-sá, Abkh. a-ħʷa-sá 'wild plum' (in Bzyb. we have a-pħʷaśá / a-bħʷaśá - obviously, a result of merging *pǝħʷa 'plum' and *ħʷaśa 'wild plum'); *-śa is a frequent component in names of plants. We could compare also Bzhed. χǝrc 'peach' (as opposed to other terms with *q:- or *pχʷ-, see above). Although we can not absolutely exclude the possibility of a secondary loss of the initial labial in these forms (see Shagirov 2, 229), it is still possible to reconstruct a separate PWC root *χ(ʷ)V (or *χ́(ʷ)V, *χI(ʷ)V ) 'wild plum' opposed to *pǝqʷV plum. This root (but not Abkh. a-pħʷá, pace Lomtatidze 1961, 116-117) could be compared to PL *χʷen: 'plum, wild plum' (Lezg. χʷat, dial. χʷad, Tab. χut, dial. χud, Ag. χut, dial. χur, χud, Rut. χäd, Tsakh. χon, Kryz. χed, Bud. χed).