ажакьа

Abkhaz

Alternative forms

• абжакьа (abẑakʲʼa), а-бжа́кьа (a-bẑákʲʼa)

Etymology

According to Šagirov, together with Abaza жакӏьа (žakʲʼa) and Ubykh жакӏьэ (ẑakʼʔʲe, “beard”) a Circassian borrowing: compare Adyghe жакӏьэ (žakʲʼɛ), жакӏэ (žakʼɛ), Kabardian жьакӏэ (źakʼɛ). This is accepted by Klimov and Xalilov, who note that the borrowing is specifically from Adyghe *žāḳ’ā.

Chirikba takes the derivation one level deeper, reconstructing Proto-Abkhaz-Abaza *žā́ḳ̍ā and deriving it from Proto-Circassian *žāḳ’ā.

Noun

а-жа́кьа • (a-ẑákʲʼa)

1. beard

   ижакьа ауишьҭит ― iẑakʲʼa awištitʼ ― he grew a beard

2. (rare) moustache

Synonyms

• аҧаҵа (apacʼa)

Descendants

• Mingrelian: ბჟაკე (bžaḳe)

References

• Шагиров, А. К. (1977) К. В. Ломтатидзе, editor, Этимологический словарь адыгских (черкесских) языков [Etymological Dictionary of Adyghean (Circassian) Languages]‎^[1] (in Russian), volume I, Moscow: Nauka, page 199
• Klimov, G. A., Xalilov, M. Š. (2003) Словарь кавказских языков. Сопоставление основной лексики [Dictionary of Caucasian Languages. A comparison of the Basic Vocabulary] (in Russian), Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, →ISBN, page 67
• Chirikba, Viacheslav A. (1996) A Dictionary of Common Abkhaz‎^[2], Leiden, page 92
• Генко, А. Н. (1998) “ажакьа”, in Абхазско-русский словарь [Abkhaz–Russian Dictionary], Sukhum: Alashara, page 88a
• Kʼaslandzja, V. A. (2005) “ажакьа”, in Аԥсуа–аурыс жәар / Абхазско–русский словарь [Abkhaz–Russian Dictionary]‎^[3], volumes 1: А–Н (overall work in Abkhaz and Russian), Sukhum: Olma-press, →ISBN, page 382a of 713