Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/grc̣q̇il-

This Proto-Kartvelian entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Kartvelian

Reconstruction

Georgian and Zan match each other regularly.

Svan, undoubtedly related here, undergoes an obscure ზ ← *გრ (z ← *gr) transformation which Fähnrich-Sarǯvelaʒe attempt to explain like this:

1. *გიწყილ- ← *გ(რ)წყილ- (*gic̣q̇il- ← *g(r)c̣q̇il-)
2. *გიწყ- ← *გიწყიუ̂- ← *გიწყილ- (*gic̣q̇- ← *gic̣q̇iû- ← *gic̣q̇il-)

   the transformation of word-final *ლ (*l) into უ̂ (û) is regular, as is the occasional loss of word-final უ̂ (û) itself

3. *გისყ- ← *გიწყ- (*gisq̇- ← *gic̣q̇-), for deaffrication of წ (c̣) in a წყ (c̣q̇) consonant cluster compare:
   1. ბა̈სყ (bäsq̇) ← Proto-Kartvelian *marc̣q̇w- (“strawberry”)
   2. ლი-სყ-ი (li-sq̇-i) ← Proto-Kartvelian *c̣q̇(w)- (“to arrange”)
4. *ჯისყ- ← *გისყ- (*ǯisq̇- ← *gisq̇-), for affrication of ჯ ← *გ (ǯ ← *g) compare:
   1. ლი-ჯიშ (li-ǯiš) ← Proto-Kartvelian *gwas₁- (“to weave”)
   2. ლი-ჯა̈ბ (li-ǯäb) ← Proto-Kartvelian *gab- (“to cook”)
5. ზჷსყ ~ ზისყ ← *ჯისყ- (zəsq̇ ~ zisq̇ ← *ǯisq̇-)

Noun

*g(r)c̣q̇il- / *grc̣q̇-il-

1. flea

Descendants

• Proto-Georgian-Zan:
  • Old Georgian: გრწყილი (grc̣q̇ili)
    • Georgian: რწყილი (rc̣q̇ili), გირწყილი (girc̣q̇ili); პწყილი (ṗc̣q̇ili); წყილი (c̣q̇ili)
  • Zan:
    • Laz: მწკირი (mǯǩiri), მწკიი (mǯǩii), მწირი (mǯiri)
    • Mingrelian: წყირი (c̣q̇iri), წყჷრი (c̣q̇əri)
• Svan: ზჷსყ (zəsq̇), ზისყ (zisq̇)

References

• Klimov, G. A. (1964) “*grc̣q̇il-”, in Этимологический словарь картвельских языков [Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages] (in Russian), Moscow: Academy Press, page 6
• Fähnrich, Heinz, Sardshweladse, Surab (1995) “*g(r)c̣q̇il-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch der Kartwel-Sprachen (Handbuch der Orientalistik; I.29) (in German), Leiden, New York, Köln: Brill, pages 91–92
• Klimov, G. A. (1998) “*grc̣q̇-il-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages (Trends in linguistics. Documentation; 16), New York, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, page 33
• Penrixi (Fähnrich), Hainc, Sarǯvelaʒe, Zurab (2000) “*g(r)c̣q̇il-”, in Kartvelur enata eṭimologiuri leksiḳoni [Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages] (in Georgian), 2nd edition, Tbilisi: Tbilisi Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani State University Press, pages 151–152
• Fähnrich, Heinz (2007) Kartwelisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Kartvelian Etymological Dictionary] (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.18) (in German), Leiden, Boston: Brill, pages 113–114

Further reading

• Čikobava, Arnold (1938) Č̣anur-megrul-kartuli šedarebiti leksiḳoni [Laz–Megrel–Georgian Comparative Dictionary] (Works; IV) (in Georgian), Tbilisi: Arnold Chikobava Institute of Linguistics, published 2008, page 129
• Nikolaev, Sergei L., Starostin, Sergei A. (1994) “*għV̆rc̣V”, in A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary‎^[1], Moscow: Asterisk Publishers, compared to Proto-Kartvelian root
• Čuxua, Merab (2007) “*girc̣q̇-”, in Iberiul-ičkeriul enata šedarebiti gramaṭiḳa [Ibero-Ichkerian Comparative Grammar] (in Georgian), Tbilisi: Tbilisi State University Press, page 309, proposes a slightly simplified archetype which still however has to undergo ზ ← *გ (z ← *g) transformation in Svan; further compares Chechen гирз (girz, “scabies, itch”), Ingush гирз (girz, “id.”)
• Čuxua, Merab (2019) “*girc̣q̇-”, in Manana Mač̣avariani, Manana Buḳia, editors, Georgian–Circassian–Apkhazian Etymological Dictionary (expanded edition)‎^[2], Tbilisi: Tbilisi State University Press, page 148, compares Adyghe чачӏа (čaĉʼa, “nit (louse)”), Kabardian чачӏа (čaĉʼa, “id”), Abkhaz а-каҵа́ (a-kʼacʼá, “bedbug”), Abaza каҵа (“id.”)