ձագ

Armenian

Etymology

From Old Armenian ձագ (jag).

Pronunciation

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /d͡zɑkʰ/, [d͡zɑkʰ]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /t͡sɑk/, [t͡sʰɑkʰ]

• Audio (Eastern Armenian):

  (file)

Noun

ձագ • (jag)

1. the young of any animal, baby animal, especially the young of a bird
2. (figurative, endearing) human baby
3. swarm of bees that leaves the hive to form a new family

   ձագուց մեղր, ձագոց մեղր ― jagucʻ meġr, jagocʻ meġr ― honey produced by this young hive, which is highly valued

Declension

i-type, animate (Eastern Armenian)

	singular	plural
nominative	ձագ (jag)	ձագեր (jager)
dative	ձագի (jagi)	ձագերի (jageri)
ablative	ձագից (jagicʻ)	ձագերից (jagericʻ)
instrumental	ձագով (jagov)	ձագերով (jagerov)
locative	—	—
	definite forms
nominative	ձագը/ձագն (jagə/jagn)	ձագերը/ձագերն (jagerə/jagern)
dative	ձագին (jagin)	ձագերին (jagerin)
	1st person possessive forms (my)
nominative	ձագս (jags)	ձագերս (jagers)
dative	ձագիս (jagis)	ձագերիս (jageris)
ablative	ձագիցս (jagicʻs)	ձագերիցս (jagericʻs)
instrumental	ձագովս (jagovs)	ձագերովս (jagerovs)
locative	—	—
	2nd person possessive forms (your)
nominative	ձագդ (jagd)	ձագերդ (jagerd)
dative	ձագիդ (jagid)	ձագերիդ (jagerid)
ablative	ձագիցդ (jagicʻd)	ձագերիցդ (jagericʻd)
instrumental	ձագովդ (jagovd)	ձագերովդ (jagerovd)
locative	—	—

Further reading

• Malxaseancʻ, Stepʻan (1944–1945) “ձագ”, in Hayerēn bacʻatrakan baṙaran [Armenian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: State Publishing House

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Old Armenian

Etymology

Connected with Albanian zog, perhaps also Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (zhk'), 𐫉𐫍𐫃 (zhg /⁠zahag⁠/, “offspring, child”), Parthian 𐫉𐫍𐫃 (zhg /⁠zahag⁠/, “offspring, child”), Persian زه (zah, “offspring of men or of cattle”), زاق (zâq, “the young of anything”), Pashto [script needed] (zag), Sogdian [script needed] (zʾk /⁠zāk⁠/, “child”), which go back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰāgʷʰ- (Pokorny, Ačaṙean, J̌ahukyan) or *ǵʰāgʰu- (Olsen). Alternatively, we may be dealing with a substrate word of the shape *ǵʰāgʰ- or the like (Martirosyan).

According to Hübschmann (followed by Pokorny), Armenian is borrowed from Iranian, but in that case *զագ (*zag) was expected, as is pointed out by J̌ahukyan and Olsen.

Georgian ზაქი (zaki, “buffalo calf”) and Classical Syriac ܙܓܐ (zagā, “chicken”) are borrowed from Iranian.

Noun

ձագ • (jag)

1. youngling, nestling

   ձագ թռչնոց ― jag tʻṙčʻnocʻ ― young of a bird, nestling, brood; young sparrow

   ձագ հաւու ― jag hawu ― chick, small chicken, pullet

   ձագ կենդանեաց ― jag kendaneacʻ ― young one, little one of animals, pup, whelp, cub

   ձագունք ― jagunkʻ ― the young or little ones, the progeny

   բբիւն ձագուց ― bbiwn jagucʻ ― the chirping or twittering of nestlings

   ձագ մատն ― jag matn ― little finger

   ձագս հանել ― jags hanel ― to brood, to sit on eggs; to have young, to litter, to bring forth

   ձագու/ձագի լեզու ― jagu/jagi lezu ― caryophyllata, herb-bennet; seed of the ash-tree

2. little bird, sparrow

Declension

u-type

	singular		plural
nominative	ձագ (jag)		ձագք (jagkʻ)
genitive	ձագու (jagu)		ձագուց (jagucʻ)
dative	ձագու (jagu)		ձագուց (jagucʻ)
accusative	ձագ (jag)		ձագս (jags)
ablative	ձագէ (jagē)		ձագուց (jagucʻ)
instrumental	ձագու (jagu)		ձագուք (jagukʻ)
locative	ձագու (jagu)		ձագս (jags)
the nominative plural can be ձագունք (jagunkʻ) post-classically

Derived terms

• աղաւնաձագ (aławnajag)
• կարասձագ (karasjag)
• հաւձագ (hawjag)
• ձագախառն (jagaxaṙn)
• ձագախառնեալ (jagaxaṙneal)
• ձագախոտ (jagaxot)
• ձագանամ (jaganam)
• ձագասնիմ (jagasnim)
• ձագասնոյց (jagasnoycʻ)
• ձագարան (jagaran)
• ձագացեալ (jagacʻeal)
• ձագեմ (jagem)
• ձագթոռայ (jagtʻoṙay)
• ձագթոռային (jagtʻoṙayin)
• ձագթոռնեայ (jagtʻoṙneay)
• ձագթոռնիայ (jagtʻoṙniay)
• ձագի դեղ (jagi deł)
• ձագխոտ (jagxot)
• ձագուռ (jaguṙ)

 

Descendants

• Armenian: ձագ (jag)
  • → Kurdish: تصاق (tsaq)
  • → Cappadocian Greek: ζάκα (záka)

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1977) “ձագ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume III, Yerevan: University Press, pages 141–142
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1837) “ձագ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), volume II, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 144b
• Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 185
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1987) Hayocʻ lezvi patmutʻyun; naxagrayin žamanakašrǰan [History of the Armenian language: The Pre-Literary Period]‎^[1] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 127
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “ձագ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 473a
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 428
• Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, pages 110–111
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “ձագ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 424b
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) “409”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 409