ընգղայ

Old Armenian

Etymology

The origin is unknown. Attested only in Chrysostom, rendering Ancient Greek Ἐρινύες (Erinúes). If the original meaning is ‘eel’, ‘water-snake’, then comparable to Latin anguilla, Ancient Greek ἔγχελυς (énkhelus), ἴμβηρις (ímbēris), Lithuanian ungurỹs, Proto-Slavic *ǫgořь, and Georgian ანკარა (anḳara, “eel”).

Noun

ընգղայ • (əngłay)

1. sea monster or sea-devil (probably female)
   • 5th century, John Chrysostom, Commentary on Matthew 2.15:

     եւ իբրեւ զդեւս հալածականս, եւ իբրեւ զընգղայս ծովու վնասակարս

     ew ibrew zdews halacakans, ew ibrew zəngłays covu vnasakars

Further reading

• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1971) “ընգղայ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume I, Yerevan: University Press, page 122a
• Ališan, Ġewond (1910) Hin hawatkʿ kam hetʿanosakan krōnkʿ Hayocʿ [Ancient beliefs or the pagan religion of Armenians], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, pages 66–67
• Awetikʿean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836) “ընգղայք”, in Nor baṙgirkʿ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), volume I, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 754b
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “ընգղայ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 248a
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, pages 279–280
• Petrosean, Matatʿeay (1879) “ընգղայք”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 197a
• Morani, Moreno (2011) “Alcune riflessioni sui prestiti siriaci in armeno [Some thoughts on the Syriac loanwords in Armenian]”, in Luca Busetto, Roberto Sottile, Livia Tonelli and Mauro Tosco, editors, He Bitaney Lagge. Studies on Language and African Linguistics in Honour of Marcello Lamberti‎^[1] (in Italian), Milano: Qu.A.S.A.R., page 153 of 123–142
• Russell, James R. (1987) Zoroastrianism in Armenia (Harvard Iranian Series; 5), Cambridge: Harvard University Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, pages 455–456
• Taġawarean, Nazarētʿ (1909) Hayocʿ hin krōnnerə [The Ancient Religions of the Armenians] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Constantinople: K. Mattʿēosean Press, page 35