ցեց

Armenian

Etymology

From Old Armenian ցեց (cʻecʻ).

Pronunciation

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /t͡sʰet͡sʰ/, [t͡sʰet͡sʰ]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /t͡set͡s/, [t͡sʰet͡sʰ]

• Audio (Eastern Armenian):

  (file)

Noun

ցեց • (cʻecʻ)

1. moth

   Synonym: մղմող (mġmoġ)

2. a kind of skin disease
3. (figuratively) something or someone who oppresses, exploits, consumes or spoils something or someone
4. (figuratively) restless person

Declension

i-type, animate (Eastern Armenian)
	singular	plural
nominative	ցեց (cʻecʻ)	ցեցեր (cʻecʻer)
dative	ցեցի (cʻecʻi)	ցեցերի (cʻecʻeri)
ablative	ցեցից (cʻecʻicʻ)	ցեցերից (cʻecʻericʻ)
instrumental	ցեցով (cʻecʻov)	ցեցերով (cʻecʻerov)
locative	—	—
	definite forms
nominative	ցեցը/ցեցն (cʻecʻə/cʻecʻn)	ցեցերը/ցեցերն (cʻecʻerə/cʻecʻern)
dative	ցեցին (cʻecʻin)	ցեցերին (cʻecʻerin)
	1st person possessive forms (my)
nominative	ցեցս (cʻecʻs)	ցեցերս (cʻecʻers)
dative	ցեցիս (cʻecʻis)	ցեցերիս (cʻecʻeris)
ablative	ցեցիցս (cʻecʻicʻs)	ցեցերիցս (cʻecʻericʻs)
instrumental	ցեցովս (cʻecʻovs)	ցեցերովս (cʻecʻerovs)
locative	—	—
	2nd person possessive forms (your)
nominative	ցեցդ (cʻecʻd)	ցեցերդ (cʻecʻerd)
dative	ցեցիդ (cʻecʻid)	ցեցերիդ (cʻecʻerid)
ablative	ցեցիցդ (cʻecʻicʻd)	ցեցերիցդ (cʻecʻericʻd)
instrumental	ցեցովդ (cʻecʻovd)	ցեցերովդ (cʻecʻerovd)
locative	—	—

Old Armenian

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. Similar words for moth are found in neighbouring languages: Udi цӏецӏ (c̣ec̣), Proto-Georgian-Zan *c₁ic₁-, Akkadian 𒌨𒈨 (sāsu), Classical Syriac ܣܣܐ (sāsā), Ancient Greek σής (sḗs) etc. The Armenian is often considered a Semitic borrowing, even though Semitic s is incompatible with Armenian ց (cʻ). To overcome this problem, Ačaṙean assumes derivation from Akkadian 𒍝𒀀𒍮 (ṣāṣu), a supposed emphatic form of the more common 𒌨𒈨 (/⁠sāsu⁠/); however, the existence of this alternative emphatic form found in Muss-Arnolt but not in more recent references is in doubt.

We may be dealing with independent expressive formations for insects in various languages, like in the case of ճճի (čči).

Noun

ցեց • (cʻecʻ)

1. moth
2. (pathology) herpes

Declension

o-type

	singular		plural
nominative	ցեց (cʻecʻ)		ցեցք (cʻecʻkʻ)
genitive	ցեցոյ (cʻecʻoy)		ցեցոց (cʻecʻocʻ)
dative	ցեցոյ (cʻecʻoy)		ցեցոց (cʻecʻocʻ)
accusative	ցեց (cʻecʻ)		ցեցս (cʻecʻs)
ablative	ցեցոյ (cʻecʻoy)		ցեցոց (cʻecʻocʻ)
instrumental	ցեցով (cʻecʻov)		ցեցովք (cʻecʻovkʻ)
locative	ցեց (cʻecʻ)		ցեցս (cʻecʻs)

Derived terms

• ցեցակեր (cʻecʻaker)
• ցեցակերեալ (cʻecʻakereal)
• ցեցամէց (cʻecʻamēcʻ)

Descendants

• Armenian: ցեց (cʻecʻ)

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “ցեց”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, pages 453–454
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “ցեց”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Hübschmann, Heinrich (1892) “Die semitischen Lehnwörter im Altarmenischen”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎^[1] (in German), volume 46, page 251
• Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 317
• Muss-Arnolt, William (1905) A Concise Dictionary of the Assyrian Language, volume II, Berlin: Reuther & Reichard, page 887b
• Nikolaev, Sergei L., Starostin, Sergei A. (1994) “*miʒ_Ă / *ʒ_imiʒĂ”, in A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary‎^[2], Moscow: Asterisk Publishers
• 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, page 939
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “ցեց”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Schulze, Wolfgang (2001) The Udi Gospels: Annotated Text, Etymological Index, Lemmatized Concordance (Languages of the World/Text Library; 5)‎^[3], Munich: Lincom Europa, page 264b
• Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 52