խրչան

Middle Armenian

Etymology

From Old Armenian խրչիլ (xrčʻil, “to be startled, to shy”) +‎ -ան (-an). Middle Armenian խրչիլ (xrčʻil), also խրտչիլ (xrtčʻil), is a later form of Old Armenian խրտչիմ (xrtčʻim). The Old Armenian equivalent of this formation would have been *խրտչան (*xrtčʻan).

Adjective

խրչան • (xrčʻan)

1. (of pack animals) skittish
   • 13th century, Faraj the Syrian, Bžškaran jioy ew aṙhasarak grastnoy [Medical Book on Horses and Other Beasts of Burden] 23:

     Եւ գիտացիր, որ հարուն, որ ի բնութենէ լինի, ու ճինար ու խրչան, կայ որ ղորդի քչիկ քչիկ և կայ որ չղորդի։

     Ew gitacʻir, or harun, or i bnutʻenē lini, u činar u xrčʻan, kay or ġordi kʻčʻik kʻčʻik ew kay or čʻġordi.

   • 13th century, Girkʿ Vastakocʿ [Geoponica] 294:

     Նախ զգրաստն ի խրտչիլն պիտի ճանաչել, թէ խրչան է՝ վատասիրտ է եւ պիղծ։

     Nax zgrastn i xrtčʻiln piti čanačʻel, tʻē xrčʻan ē, vatasirt ē ew piġc.

Descendants

• → Armenian: խրտչան (xrtčʻan) (learned)
• → Azerbaijani: xırçın
• → Ottoman Turkish: خرچین (hırçın), خرچیل (hırçıl); խըրչըն (hırçın), խըրչըլ (hırçıl)
  • Turkish: hırçın
  • → Armenian: խըռչըլ (xəṙčʻəl), խռչըլ (xṙčʻəl)

Further reading

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971) “խիրտ”, 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 271a
• Čʻugaszyan, B. L. (1980) Bžškaran jioy ew aṙhasarak grastnoy (ŽG dar) [Medical Book on Horses and Other Beasts of Burden (13th century)]‎^[2], Yerevan: Academy Press, page 202
• Ġazaryan, Ṙ. S., Avetisyan, H. M. (2009) “խրչան”, in Miǰin hayereni baṙaran [Dictionary of Middle Armenian] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 338a
• Norayr N. Biwzandacʻi (2000) “խրչան”, in Martiros Minassian, editor, Baṙagirkʻ storin hayerēni i matenagrutʻeancʻ ŽA–ŽĒ darucʻ [Dictionary of Middle Armenian Based on the Literature of 11–17th Centuries]‎^[3], edited from the author's unfinished manuscript written 1884–1915, Geneva: Martiros Minassian, page 311
• Tʻadewosyan, Hasmik (2004) “Baṙakazmutʻyunə “Girkʻ vastakocʻ” erkum [Word formation in Geoponica]”, in Banber Erewani hamalsarani [“Banber” – Bulletin of Yerevan University]‎^[4] (in Armenian), volume 113, number 2, page 148 of 143–149