ծեծեմ

Old Armenian

Etymology

Uncertain.

Scheftelowitz connects with Sanskrit जज (jaja, “warrior”), जजति (jajati, “to fight”). This is accepted by Ačaṙean who reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *ǵeǵ- for both, adducing also Sanskrit जञ्जति (jañjati, “to fight”) and Old Armenian ծանծ (canc, “chaff”) as cognates. According to Ačaṙean, Georgian წეწავს (c̣ec̣avs, “tousle, dishevel something; make a mess of something; card the wool”), წეწვა (c̣ec̣va, “carding of wool; tousling of hair; tearing out of tufts of hair”), ძეძგავს (ʒeʒgavs, “pound, pulp something; thrash somebody”), ძეძგვა (ʒeʒgva, “pounding, pulping; thrashing somebody; hitting somebody hard”) are borrowed from Armenian.

J̌ahukyan is skeptical of the above Indo-European etymology, because a reconstruction *ǵeǵ- is missing from Pokorny and Mayrhofer, and wonders if we are dealing with a borrowing from Georgian-Zan, if the above Georgian words are not borrowed from Armenian.

Verb

ծեծեմ • (cecem)

1. (transitive) to strike, beat

   ծեծեմ զկուրծս ― cecem zkurcs ― to beat the breast

   • 5th century, Pʻawstos Buzand, Hayoc Patmutʻiwnʻ V.4:

     Եւ հասանէր Ուռնայրի արքային Աղուանից ի փախստեանն, եւ նիզակաբնաւն ի կառափն մատուցեալ ծեծէր բազում, ասելով՝ թէ այդմ շնորհս կալ, զի այր թագաւոր ես, եւ թագ ունիս․ ես ոչ սպանից զայր թագաւոր, թէ կարի նեղ հասցէ ինձ: Եւ ութ հեծելով թոյլ ետ նմա փախչել գնալ յաշխարհն Աղուանից:

     Ew hasanēr Uṙnayri arkʻayin Ałuanicʻ i pʻaxsteann, ew nizakabnawn i kaṙapʻn matucʻeal cecēr bazum, aselov, tʻē aydm šnorhs kal, zi ayr tʻagawor es, ew tʻag unis; es očʻ spanicʻ zayr tʻagawor, tʻē kari neł hascʻē inj: Ew utʻ hecelov tʻoyl et nma pʻaxčʻel gnal yašxarhn Ałuanicʻ:

     • Translation by Nina G. Garsoïan

       And he caught up with Uṙnayr king of Ałuankʿ, who was fleeing, and struck him over the head with many blows of the shaft of his lance, saying, "Be grateful that you are a king and wear a crown, for I will not kill a king, even though great harm come to me." And he allowed him to escape with eight horsemen and go to the realm of Ałuankʿ.

2. (transitive) to crush, grind, pound

Conjugation

Derived terms

Descendants

• Armenian: ծեծել (cecel)

References

Further reading

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “ծեծ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume II, Yerevan: University Press, page 451ab
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836) “ծեծեմ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), volume I, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 1013c
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “ծեծ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 361ab
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “ծեծեմ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 309b
• Scheftelowitz, J. (1904) “Zur altarmenischen lautgeschichte”, in Beiträge zur kunde der indogermanischen Sprachen (in German), volume 28, page 295