Middle Persian edit

Alternative forms edit

  • [Avestan needed] (pačīn) (Pazend)

Etymology edit

According to Cheung, composed of Proto-Iranian *pati- (against, preverb) (see Old Persian 𐎱𐎫𐎡𐏁 (p-t-i-š)) with the verbal root *čag- / *čak- (to strike, hit). The formation is similar to German Durch-schlag. Nyberg specifically reconstructs the development as *patšagn*pati-čagn-Old Iranian *patičag-niya-.

On the other hand, according to Müller, and following him Hübschmann, Ačaṙyan and Olsen, the word is going back to Old Iranian *patičayana- (literally against-reading), composed of the preverb *pati- (against) and the verbal root *čai- (to gather, collect). Typologically compare Ancient Greek ἀντίγραφον (antígraphon, copy, literally against-reading). For the sense development “to gather, collect” → “to read”, Müller compares Latin lego (to gather; to read), Ancient Greek λέγω (légō, to gather; to say).

Cognate with Sogdian 𐼾𐼰𐽂𐼿𐼲𐼻𐼷 (pʾtcɣny /⁠pātčaγnē⁠/, answer, reply letter), which is usually derived from Old Iranian *pati-čagnaka-, as well as the following Iranian borrowings: Old Armenian պատճէն (patčēn), պատճիկ (patčik), պաճիկ (pačik, copy of an official letter), Biblical Hebrew פַּתְשֶׁגֶן (paṯšéḡen, copy), Aramaic פַּרְשֶׁגֶן (paršéḡen, copy), Classical Syriac ܦܪܫܓܢܐ (paršaḡnāʾ, copy).

Noun edit

pcyn' (pačēn)

  1. (Book Pahlavi) copy

Derived terms edit

  • hmpcyn' (ham-pačēn, wholly-copied)

Descendants edit

  • Persian: پچین (pačin)
  • Georgian: პაჭენისი (ṗač̣enisi)
  • Old Armenian: պաճէն (pačēn)

References edit

  • Nyberg, H. S. (1974) “pacēn”, in A Manual of Pahlavi, Part II: Glossary, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, page 147a
  • MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) “pa(č)čen”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, page 62
  • Cheung, Johnny (2007) “*čak/g”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 31–32
  • Müller, Friedrich (1892) “Pahlawi und armenische Etymologien”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (in German), volume 6, pages 264–265
  • Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 224
  • Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “պատճէն”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, page 45b
  • Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 902
  • Gharib, B. (1995) “pʾtcγny(y)”, in Sogdian dictionary: Sogdian–Persian–English, Tehran: Farhangan Publications, page 261b
  • pršgn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • Livshits, Vladimir (2006) “Armeno-Partho-Sogdica”, in Iran and the Caucasus[1], volume 10, number 1, page 84