покш

Erzya

Etymology

Possibly related to Finnish paksu and Estonian paks (“thick”), which are considered to be an old Indo-Iranian loan. Compare Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰaȷ́ʰúš (“thick, abundant”), whence Sanskrit बहुल (bahulá, “large, thick”). Although, the Mordvinic word may have been borrowed separately from the Finnic one.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pokʃ/

Adjective

покш • (pokš)

1. big

   весемеде покш ― veśemeďe pokš ― the biggest

2. great
   • 1910, Makar Evsevievich Evseviev, Gospoda nashego Iisusa Hrista Svjatoe Evangelie ot Matfeja, Marka, Luki i Ioanna na mordovskom jazyke‎^[1], page 124:

     Іисус каршозонзо мерьсь: нейсыть не покш кудотьнень! весе неть яжазь улить, а кадови тезэ кев лаҥгс кев.

     Іisus karšozonzo meŕś: ńejsiť ńe pokš kudoťńeń! veśe ńeť jažaź uľiť, a kadovi ťeze kev laҥgs kev.

     “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

References

• B. A. Serebrennikov, R. N. Buzakova, M. V. Mosin (1993) “покш”, in Эрзянь-рузонь валкс [Erzya-Russian dictionary], Moscow: Русский язык, →ISBN