удган

Mongolian

FWOTD – 30 August 2017

Alternative forms

• нядган (njadgan)

Etymology

From Proto-Mongolic *ïdugan (compare Dongxiang idogvo (“faith healer”)), and cognate with Khitan 伊吐干 (yitugan). The initial n- of the alternative form is not found in Middle Mongol or other Mongolic languages.

Potential comparisons are:

• Proto-Turkic *ɨduk (“sacred”), possibly derived from *ɨ̄d- (“to send”); compare Old Turkic 𐰃𐰑𐰸 (ïðuq), Yakut ытык (ıtık);
• Japanese 巫子 (itako, “priestess”), perhaps a compound of 板 (ita, “board”) +‎ 子 (ko, “girl”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʊtɢəŋ/, [̙ˈo̙tʁɵ̙ɴ]

Noun

удган • (udgan) (Mongolian spelling ᠢᠳᠤᠭᠠᠨ (iduɣan) or ᠨᠢᠳᠤᠭᠠᠨ (niduɣan)); (regular declension)

1. shamaness

   Hypernym: бөө (böö, “shaman”)

Further reading

• J. Janhunen, “The Holy Shamaness: Some additional notes on a Turko-Mongolic etymology”.