Armenian edit

Etymology edit

From Old Armenian բակ (bak).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

բակ (bak)

  1. court; yard, courtyard
    Synonym: (informal) հայաթ (hayatʻ)

Declension edit

Old Armenian edit

Etymology edit

According to Ačaṙean, a Georgian-Zan borrowing: compare Old Georgian ბაკი (baḳi, hedged pen for cattle; yard; moon halo), Laz ბაკი (baǩi, stable).[1] Similar words are found in other languages of the Caucasus: Svan ქარბა̈კ (karbäḳ), Kabardian бэкхъ (bɛqχ), Abaza бакъ (baqʼ, cowshed), Avar бокь (bokkˡʼ), Chamalal бекь (bekkˡʼ), Godoberi бекьи, Karata бекье, Akhvakh бекьо (bekkˡʼo, stable, stall)

Martirosyan prefers derivation from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g- (to divide, distribute, allot), either as an inheritance or a borrowing from the Proto-Indo-Iranian cognate *bʰāgá- (portion, share, allotment).[2] The sense development is ‘landed allotment, encircled estate’ → ‘courtyard’. If this etymology is correct, the Kartvelian words are borrowed from Armenian.

For the semantic shift ‘courtyard, pen’ → ‘halo’, Martirosyan compares Turkish ağıl (overnight sheep pen; moon halo), Hittite [script needed] (Éḫīla-, courtyard; halo).[2] Other typological parallels are Ancient Greek ἅλως (hálōs, threshing floor with its surrounding threshold; halo), German Hof (yard; halo), Hungarian udvar (yard, court, courtyard; halo, corona (around the moon)), Lithuanian dar̃žas (garden; paddock; moon halo).

Noun edit

բակ (bak)

  1. courtyard
  2. sheepfold
  3. halo around the sun or moon
    Synonym: կալ (kal)
  4. sun-disk
  5. distance between two stars
  6. circumference, round, circuit
    բակ առնուլ, ունել, արկանելbak aṙnul, unel, arkanelto encompass, to surround, to begird

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Armenian: բակ (bak)

References edit

  1. ^ Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979) “բակ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press
  2. 2.0 2.1 Martirosyan, Hrach (2013) “The place of Armenian in the Indo-European language family: the relationship with Greek and Indo-Iranian”, in Journal of Language Relationship[1], number 10, page 99

Further reading edit

  • Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “բակ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
  • Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “բակ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy