արատայ

Old Armenian

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. Perhaps a corruption of Latin ardea.

Noun

արատայ • (aratay)

1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
   1. stork
   • 13th century, Vardan Arewelcʿi, Meknutʿiwn Sałmosacʿ Dawtʿi [Commentary on Psalms of David] 103:

     Բոյն արագլի, սիմաքոս՝ արիովդ արատայ տուն է նորա

     Boyn aragli, simakʻos, ariovd aratay tun ē nora

     • Translation by Hrach Martirosyan

       (The) nest of a stork: Symmachus (says) ariovd aratay is his home

Usage notes

• The word is attested only once in the commentary on Psalms 103[104].17 by Vardan Arewelcʿi, coupled to արիովդ (ariovd).
• It is usually assumed that the nominative form is *արատ (*arat) and արատայ (aratay) is its genitive singular, however an a-type declension is used only with proper nouns.

Further reading

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971) “արատ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume I, Yerevan: University Press, page 298a
• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971) “արիովդ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume I, Yerevan: University Press, page 316a
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) “arat”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 126, proposing a Proto-Indo-European or substrate origin