Armenian

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Etymology

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From Old Armenian մութ (mutʻ).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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մութ (mutʻ) (superlative ամենամութ)

  1. dark; unlit
    Synonym: խավար (xavar)
    մութ անկյունmutʻ ankyuna hidden place cut off from life and the world
    մութն ընկնելmutʻn ənknelto get dark, to become evening
    մութը կոխել / մութը գետինն առնելmutʻə koxel / mutʻə getinn aṙnelto grow dark, to become night
    մութ մառանmutʻ maṙanstomach, belly
    մութն ու լուսին / մութն ու լուսունmutʻn u lusin / mutʻn u lusuntwilight, between night and day
    մթնովmtʻnovtime of darkness, dark times
  2. (figuratively) incomprehensible, unknowable; doubtful, uncertain
  3. (figuratively) gloomy, dismal, glum

Declension

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Noun

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մութ (mutʻ)

  1. darkness

Declension

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Usage notes

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Has the combining form մթն- (mtʻn-), e.g. in մթնոլորտ (mtʻnolort), reflecting Old Armenian մութն (mutʻn).

Derived terms

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References

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  • Aġayan, Ēduard (1976) “մութ”, in Ardi hayereni bacʻatrakan baṙaran [Explanatory Dictionary of Contemporary Armenian] (in Armenian), volume II, Yerevan: Hayastan, page 1037c
  • Gabamačean, Simon (1910) “մութ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hayerēn Lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Constantinople: R. Sakayan press, page 953b
  • Malxaseancʻ, Stepʻan (1944) “մութ”, in Hayerēn bacʻatrakan baṙaran [Armenian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Armenian), volume III, Yerevan: State Publishing House, page 361c
  • Ter Xačʻaturean, Artašēs (1992) “մութ”, in Hayocʻ lezui nor baṙaran [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, volume II, Beirut: G. Doniguian & Fils, page 229a
  • մութ”, in Žamanakakicʻ hayocʻ lezvi bacʻatrakan baṙaran [Explanatory Dictionary of Contemporary Armenian] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, 1974, page 571b

Old Armenian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Of unclear origin.

Has been linked with Old Irish mothar (dark), German Moder and English mother, mud. Other possible cognates include Latin mūtus (mute, silent), Ancient Greek μύω (múō, to shut (one's eyes)), Sanskrit मुदिर (mudira, cloud), मूत्र (mūtra, urine), Avestan 𐬨𐬏𐬚𐬭𐬀 (mūθra), ultimately all from Proto-Indo-European *muH-. Compare also Classical Syriac ܥܡܘܛ (ʕmwṭ /⁠ʕammūṭ⁠/, dark, obscure).[1][2][3] Olsen considers these comparisons unplausible and proposes instead a connection with the word մուխ (mux, smoke), tentatively deriving it from the Proto-Indo-European past participle *(s)mukʰ-to-.[4]

On the other hand, Martirosyan reckons that this word comes from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (night), with the change *nm apparently also seen in մագիլ (magil).[5]

Noun

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մութ (mutʻ)

  1. darkness

Declension

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Adjective

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մութ (mutʻ)

  1. dark

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Armenian: մութ (mutʻ)

References

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  1. ^ Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1977) “մութ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume III, Yerevan: University Press, pages 351a–352a
  2. ^ J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “մութ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 536b
  3. ^ ˁmwṭ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  4. ^ Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 41
  5. ^ Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 715

Further reading

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