Proto-North Caucasian: *ḳV̆rḳV̆(-nV)
Meaning: small stone, grain, egg
Notes: One of several EC and NC roots with the structure *KVKV denoting some small object. The root is expressive, and it is hard to reconstruct vowels; however, consonantal correspondences are quite regular and the root is well represented, thus it must be reconstructed for PNC. See Abdokov 1983, 134 (with some confusion of several roots mentioned above). Cf. Hurr. kirikiri(j)annǝ 'seed of pine-cone' ( > Akkad. kirkiriannu), see Diakonoff-Starostin 1986, 57.
Similar roots are known in Kartvelian (PK *ḳaḳal- 'nut', *ḳaḳa- 'fruit stone'); however, the supposition of a late loan of Lezg. forms from Georg. ḳaḳali 'walnut' (Klimov 1972, 352) or from Arm. k:ak:al id. (Klimov, Vinogradova 1979, 158) is unacceptable - both because Lezg. forms are very different semantically and because they fit well into the common NC root. The Armenian form itself is obviously a Caucasian loanword.
