Chuvash

edit

Etymology

edit

Ultimately borrowed from Middle Mongol ᠭᠠᠶᠢᠬᠠᠮ᠎ᠠ (ɣayiqam-a, to astonished) (cf. Mongolian гайхам (gajxam, amazing), via a Kipchak language.[1] Róna-Tas instead suggested that it may ultimately be from Middle Mongol ᠭᠣᠶᠤᠬᠠᠨ (ɣoyuqan, beautiful) (cf. Mongolian гоёхон (gojoxon, beautiful) noting phonological problems with the previous proposal,[2] however Poppe rejects this on the basis of attestation. Jegorov suggests that it may be inheritance from Proto-Turkic *körk (beauty) (cf. Turkish görkem (splendor)),[3] however Poppe notes that the phonology does not line up; see also кӗрнек (kĕrnek, beauty) from курӑн (kurăn, to appear).

Adjective

edit

хӳхӗм (hüh̬ĕm)

  1. beautiful, pretty, glorious
    хӳхӗм чечексемhüh̬ĕm čeč̬eksembeautiful flowers
  2. strong, vigorous
    хӳхӗм тапакhüh̬ĕm tap̬akstrong tobacco

References

edit
  1. ^ Poppe, Nicholas (1977), "On Chuvash-Mongolian Linguistic Contacts", in Journal of the American Oriental Society, volume 97, University of Washington, pages 111-114
  2. ^ Róna-Tas, András (1982), "Loan-Words of Ultimate Middle Mongolian Origin in Chuvash", in Studia Uralo-Altaica, volume 17, Szeged, pages 66-134
  3. ^ Jegorov, V. G. (1964) “хӳхӗм”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ čuvašskovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Chuvash Language] (in Russian), Cheboksary: Čuvašskoje knižnoje izdatelʹstvo, page 313

Further reading

edit
  • хӳхӗм”, in Электронлă сăмахсар[1] (overall work in Russian and Chuvash), 1996.