ատրճանակ

Armenian

Etymology

Although attested only in modern texts, ատրճանակ (atrčanak) has a shape of classical Middle Iranian borrowings. Ačaṙean reconstructs the classical form as *ատրջանակ (*atrǰanak), supposedly borrowed from Middle Iranian *āturǰanak, composed of the words for ‘fire’ (see ատր- (atr-)) and ‘to hit, strike’ (see Proto-Indo-Iranian *ǰʰánti). For the suffix see -ակ (-ak). He speculates that the initial meaning was ‘device for making fire, fire-steel, flint’: compare Persian آتش‌زنه (âtaš-zana, “fire-steel, tinder-box”) from آتش زدن (âtaš zadan, “to set fire to”). From this meaning some modern author coined the sense ‘pistol’. For such a semantic development compare Turkish çakmaklı (“flintlock gun”) from çakmak (“fire-steel”). Compare also հրաճան (hračan), included in a couple of dictionaries as a translation of ‘musket’, which can be a learned Armenization of ատրճան (atrčan), by replacing Iranian *ātr- with native հուր (hur, “fire”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

ատրճանակ • (atrčanak)

1. pistol, handgun; revolver
   • 1805, Łukas Inčičean, Ašxarhagrutʿiwn čʿoricʿ masancʿ ašxarhi, Asioy, Ewropoy, Apʿrikoy ew Amerikoy part 2, volume 4, page 320, (in Google Books):

     Զէնք հետևակ զօրաց են սաղաւարտ, վահան, երկու թուր, մի սուին և ատրճան, այն է՝ թիւֆէնկ։ Իսկ հեծել՟ք յոտից մինչև ՚ի գլուխ զրահաւոր են, և ունին ատրճանակ․ այն է՝ փիշտով, նետ, նիզակ և թուր։

     Zēnkʻ hetewak zōracʻ en saławart, vahan, erku tʻur, mi suin ew atrčan, ayn ē, tʻiwfēnk. Isk hecel.kʻ yoticʻ minčʻew ’i glux zrahawor en, ew unin atrčanak; ayn ē, pʻištov, net, nizak ew tʻur.

     The munitions of the infantry are the helmet, shield, two swords, one սուին (suin) and atrčan, i.e. a musket. Whereas the cavalrymen are armoured from top to toe and have an atrčanak, i.e. a pistol , an arrow, spear and a sword.

Usage notes

• Ačaṙean treats ատրճան (atrčan) / ատրաճան (atračan) as a mere alternative form of ատրճանակ (atrčanak), but a careful study of the texts shows that ատրճան (atrčan) refers to a sort of long gun. Note for example the quoted passage from Inčičean, where the pair is used contrastively. It is possible that ատրճանակ (atrčanak, “handgun”) is formed from ատրճան (atrčan) with the diminutive suffix -ակ (-ak). Alternatively, ատրճան (atrčan) may be a back-formation from the original ատրճանակ (atrčanak), where the Iranian ending was reinterpreted as the diminutive suffix.
• The earliest attestation recorded by Ačaṙean is from 1796, but ատրաճան (atračan) has been attested in a 1772 book: see in ատրճան (atrčan).

Declension

Related terms

• ատրճան (atrčan), ատրաճան (atračan)

References

Further reading

• J̌axǰaxean, Manuēl (1804) “pistola”, in Baṙaran yitalakan lezuē i hay ew i tačik barbaṙ [Dizionario Italiano-Armeno-Turco], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 587b
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “ատրճանակ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 69a
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “ատրճանակ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 83a