մաղթ

Middle Armenian

Alternative forms

• մախթ (maxtʻ)

Etymology

Usually considered a borrowing from Ancient Greek μάλθα (máltha, “mixture of wax and pitch used for caulking ships and on writing tablets”), even though the meanings do not match precisely. The Armenian is not a scholarly borrowing, but is alive in the Hamshen dialect as մախտ (maxt, “a certain tree resin”). Because of this and because the Greek is itself a loanword and has parallels in Eastern languages – Hebrew מֶלֶט (meleṭ), Classical Syriac ܡܠܴܛܳܐ (mlāṭā), Arabic مِلَاط (milāṭ, “mortar”) – we may be dealing with independent borrowings from an unidentified third source.

Noun

մաղթ • (maġtʻ)

1. the designation of various natural gums and resins, in particular the resin of Ferula galbaniflua (syn. gummosa, galbanum), Ferula assa-foetida (asafoetida), and the մարխ (marx) tree

   Hypernym: խէժ (xēž)

   Coordinate terms: անգուժատ (angužat), քաղբան (kʻaġban), խայծղան (xaycġan), բարգժատ (bargžat), չարհոտ (čʻarhot), ղասնի (ġasni), խասնի (xasni), հլթիս (hltʻis), կռէզ (kṙēz), լացուր (lacʻur), դեղ վիրի (deġ viri), կատրան (katran), ուպան (upan)

   • 17th century, Eremia Mełrecʻi, Baṙgirkʻ hayocʻ [Armenian Dictionary] Խ.50:

     Խայտխան եւ ռետին· դեղ վիրի, կամ կատրան, կամ մաղթ։

     Xaytxan ew ṙetin· deġ viri, kam katran, kam maġtʻ.

   • 1478 – 1492, Amirdovlatʻ Amasiacʻi, Angitacʻ anpēt [Useless for Ignoramuses] :

     Մախթ· որ է խասնի․ հլթիս․ յիշած է։

     Maxtʻ· or ē xasni; hltʻis; yišac ē.

     Maxtʻ = Is the xasni; [and also] the hltʻis [= Arabic حِلْتِيث (ḥiltīṯ)]. It is recorded.

   • 1614 – 1622, Asar Sebastacʻi, Girkʻ bžškakan arhesti [Book of Medical Art] :

     Մաղթ, որ է չարհոտն։

     Maġtʻ, or ē čʻarhotn.

Descendants

• Armenian: մախտ (maxt)

Further reading

• Ališan, Ġewond (1895) “մաղթ”, in Haybusak kam haykakan busabaṙutʻiwn [Armenian Botany] (in Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, § 1945, pages 412–413
• Asar Sebastacʻi (1993) Girkʻ bžškakan arhesti (XVI—XVII dd.) [Book of Medical Art (16–17th cc.)]‎^[4], preparation of the text, preface and dictionary by D. M. Karapetyan, Yerevan: Academy Press, page 363
• Bedevian, Armenag K. (1936) “F. galbaniflua”, in Illustrated Polyglottic Dictionary of Plant Names‎^[5], Cairo: Argus & Papazian Presses, § 1610a, page 275
• Ġazaryan, Ṙ. S., Avetisyan, H. M. (2009) “մաղթ”, in Miǰin hayereni baṙaran [Dictionary of Middle Armenian] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 488a
• Norayr N. Biwzandacʻi (1880) Haykakan baṙakʻnnutʻiwn [Armenian Lexicology] (in Armenian), Constantinople: P. Kʻiriščean, pages 25–26
• Norayr N. Biwzandacʻi (2000) “մաղթ”, in Martiros Minassian, editor, Baṙagirkʻ storin hayerēni i matenagrutʻeancʻ ŽA–ŽĒ darucʻ [Dictionary of Middle Armenian Based on the Literature of 11–17th Centuries]‎^[6], edited from the author's unfinished manuscript written 1884–1915, Geneva: Martiros Minassian, pages 482–483
• Scheftelowitz, J. (1905) “Zur altarmenischen lautgeschichte”, in Beiträge zur kunde der indogermanischen Sprachen (in German), volume 29, page 29

Old Armenian

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *meldʰ- (“to ask, pray, speak”). Cognate with Lithuanian maldýti (“to implore”), Proto-Slavic *modlìti (“to ask, pray”), Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒀠𒁲 (māldi, “to recite, make a vow”), Proto-West Germanic *melþōn (“to specify; to inform; to accuse”). Martirosyan explains the derivation as Proto-Armenian *maɫ(d)tʰi-, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dʰ-ti-, a *-ti-deverbative with a regular zero-grade of *meldʰ-.

Noun

մաղթ • (małtʻ)

1. prayer, supplication

Declension

i-type

	singular		plural
nominative	մաղթ (małtʻ)		մաղթք (małtʻkʻ)
genitive	մաղթի (małtʻi)		մաղթից (małtʻicʻ)
dative	մաղթի (małtʻi)		մաղթից (małtʻicʻ)
accusative	մաղթ (małtʻ)		մաղթս (małtʻs)
ablative	մաղթէ (małtʻē)		մաղթից (małtʻicʻ)
instrumental	մաղթիւ (małtʻiw)		մաղթիւք (małtʻiwkʻ)
locative	մաղթի (małtʻi)		մաղթս (małtʻs)

Derived terms

• մաղթական (małtʻakan)
• մաղթակից (małtʻakicʻ)
• մաղթանք (małtʻankʻ)
• մաղթեմ (małtʻem)
• մաղթողական (małtʻołakan)
• մաղթութիւն (małtʻutʻiwn)

Further reading

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979) “մաղթ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “մաղթ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 445
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “մաղթ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy