эзь

Erzya

Etymology

The component э- (e-) is from Proto-Uralic *e- (“not”).

Cognates include Moksha изь (iź), Livonian iz (“didn't”) (from Proto-Finnic *esi).

Particle

эзь • (eź)

1. (past tense negative particle) not, didn't, -n't, wasn't, weren't

   Used with personal suffixes: эзинь, эзить, эзь; эзинек, эзиде, эсть

   Objective conjugation also adds its suffixes: эзимек, эзимем, эзимизь, эзитень, эзизеть, эзидизь, эзия, эзинек, эзинк, эзизь, эзинзе

   1910, Makar Evsevievich Evseviev, Gospoda nashego Iisusa Hrista Svyatoe Evangelie ot Matfeya, Marka, Luki i Ioanna na mordovskom yazyke‎^[1], page 225:

   Пазонть кі-як эзизе нейть знярды-як. Вейкине шачовт Цёрась, Кона яла Тетянть марто, Сон содавтызе.

   No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

References

• Entry #1876 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics.