բորենի

Armenian

Բորենի

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old Armenian բորենի (boreni)

Pronunciation

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /boɾeˈni/, [boɾení]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /poɾeˈni/, [pʰoɾení]

• Audio (Eastern Armenian):

  (file)

Noun

բորենի • (boreni)

1. hyena

   Synonym: (dialectal) քավթառքոսի (kʻavtʻaṙkʻosi)

Usage notes

In colloquial Eastern Armenian, Russian гие́на (gijéna) is often used instead.

Declension

u-type, animate (Eastern Armenian)
	singular	plural
nominative	բորենի (boreni)	բորենիներ (boreniner)
dative	բորենու (borenu)	բորենիների (borenineri)
ablative	բորենուց (borenucʻ)	բորենիներից (boreninericʻ)
instrumental	բորենով, բորենիով (borenov, boreniov)	բորենիներով (boreninerov)
locative	—	—
	definite forms
nominative	բորենին (borenin)	բորենիները/բորենիներն (boreninerə/boreninern)
dative	բորենուն (borenun)	բորենիներին (boreninerin)
	1st person possessive forms (my)
nominative	բորենիս (borenis)	բորենիներս (boreniners)
dative	բորենուս (borenus)	բորենիներիս (borenineris)
ablative	բորենուցս (borenucʻs)	բորենիներիցս (boreninericʻs)
instrumental	բորենովս, բորենիովս (borenovs, boreniovs)	բորենիներովս (boreninerovs)
locative	—	—
	2nd person possessive forms (your)
nominative	բորենիդ (borenid)	բորենիներդ (boreninerd)
dative	բորենուդ (borenud)	բորենիներիդ (boreninerid)
ablative	բորենուցդ (borenucʻd)	բորենիներիցդ (boreninericʻd)
instrumental	բորենովդ, բորենիովդ (borenovd, boreniovd)	բորենիներովդ (boreninerovd)
locative	—	—

Old Armenian

Alternative forms

• բորեան (borean), բորէ (borē)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“brown”), either as an inheritance or more likely a borrowing from the Iranian cognate: compare Middle Persian [script needed] (bwl /⁠bōr⁠/, “reddish-brown, bay, chestnut (horse)”), Persian بور (bur) and possibly Khwarezmian [script needed] (rknβwryk, “hyena”). If the original meaning was 'fur of hyena', the word may contain the fur-suffix -ենի (-eni).

See also բոր (bor), բորեկ (borek).

Noun

բորենի • (boreni)

1. hyena
   • 5th century, with changes and additions in later centuries, Baroyaxōs [Physiologus] Earliest recension (TR).27.2:

     Բարոյախաւսն ասէ զբորենոյ, թէ արու եւ էգ է․ երբեմն արու լինի եւ երբեմն էգ։

     Baroyaxawsn asē zborenoy, tʻē aru ew ēg ē; erbemn aru lini ew erbemn ēg.

     • Translation by Gohar Muradyan

       Physiologus says about the hyena that it is hermaphrodite: at times it becomes male and at times female.

Declension

o-a-type

	singular		plural
nominative	բորենի (boreni)		բորենիք (borenikʻ)
genitive	բորենւոյ (borenwoy)		բորենեաց (boreneacʻ)
dative	բորենւոյ (borenwoy)		բորենեաց (boreneacʻ)
accusative	բորենի (boreni)		բորենիս (borenis)
ablative	բորենւոյ (borenwoy)		բորենեաց (boreneacʻ)
instrumental	բորենեաւ (boreneaw)		բորենեաւք = բորենեօք (boreneawkʻ = boreneōkʻ)
locative	բորենի (boreni)		բորենիս (borenis)
post-classically the genitive-dative-ablative singular can be բորենոյ (borenoy)

Descendants

• → Armenian: բորենի (boreni)

Further reading

• Ačaṙyan, Hračʻya (1940) Hayocʻ lezvi patmutʻyun [History of the Armenian Language] (in Armenian), volume I, Yerevan: University Press, pages 42–43
• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979) “բորենի”, 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) “բորենի”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Lurje, Pavel B. (2010) Personal Names in Sogdian Texts (Iranisches Personennamenbuch, Band 2, Faszikel 8), Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, § 328, page 151
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 189
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “բորենի”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy