Old Armenian edit

Etymology edit

Either from -ոյթ (-oytʿ) +‎ -իւն (-iwn) or from Proto-Indo-European *-tyon with Latin -tio as a cognate.

Suffix edit

-ութիւն (-utʿiwn)

  1. forming quality and abstract nouns from nouns, adjectives and verbs; -ity, -ness, -dom, -hood, -y
    միmione
    միութիւնmiutʿiwnunion
    փիլիսոփայpʿilisopʿayphilosopher
    փիլիսոփայութիւնpʿilisopʿayutʿiwnphilosophy
    արքայarkʿayking
    արքայութիւնarkʿayutʿiwnkingdom
    բարձրbarjrhigh
    բարձրութիւնbarjrutʿiwnheight
    մկրտեմmkrtemto baptize
    մկրտութիւնmkrtutʿiwnbaptism

Usage notes edit

  • The suffix was very productive.
  • Often abbreviated as -ութի՟ (-utʿi.) = -ութիւն (-utʿiwn), -ութե՟ (-utʿe.) = -ութեան (-utʿean), -ութէ՟ (-utʿē.) = -ութենէ (-utʿenē).

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Armenian: -ություն (-utʿyun)

References edit

  • J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1998) “-ութիւն”, in Hin hayereni verǰacancʿneri cagumə [The Origin of Old Armenian Suffixes] (Hayocʿ lezvi hamematakan kʿerakanutʿyan harcʿer; 2) (in Armenian), Yerevan: Anania Širakacʿi, pages 5–48
  • Tumanjan, Eteri (1971) Древнеармянский язык [The Old Armenian Language]‎[1] (in Russian), Moscow: Nauka, page 19
  • Godel, Robert (1975) An introduction to the study of classical Armenian, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, page 56