ցրեմ

Several difficult Indo-European etymologies have been proposed.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]} Ačaṙean prefers Petersson's connection with Sanskrit छुरयति (churayati, “to strew or sprinkle with”, causative) as the only cognate, supposedly from a substantive *छुर- (chura-) from Proto-Indo-European *sḱr̥ro-, with Old Armenian ցիր (cʻir, “strewn, scattered, dispersed”) being from Proto-Indo-European *sḱēro-,^[11][12][13] however this explanation for the Indic word is not accepted nowadays.^[14][15]

Ačaṙean noticed the similarity with the Georgian descendants listed at Proto-Georgian-Zan *car- ~ *cr- (“to sift”), some of which mean "to scatter", and tentatively derived those from Armenian. As it is known now that the Georgian terms are native, the opposite is probably true: ցրեմ (cʻrem) is a Georgian-Zan borrowing from the mentioned root. The synonymous ցրուեմ (cʻruem), which is usually explained as based on the difficult-to-explain derivative ցր-իւ (cʻr-iw), may preserve the -ვ/უ- (-v/u-) of the Georgian-Zan verbal noun, like կռուիմ (kṙuim), and ցրիւ (cʻriw) may have been back-formed from it like կռիւ (kṙiw).

ցրեմ • (cʻrem)

1. (transitive) to scatter, disperse
   • 5th century, Agatʻangełos, Patmutʻiwn Hayocʻ 585:^[16][17]

     Իսկ աշտարակն յուզեաց զսրտմտութիւն բարկութեան Արարչին՝ ցրել զնոսա և խառնակել զլեզուս նոցա։

     Isk aštarakn yuzeacʻ zsrtmtutʻiwn barkutʻean Ararčʻin, cʻrel znosa ew xaṙnakel zlezus nocʻa.

     • Translation by Robert W. Thomson

       The tower stirred the wrath of the anger of the Creator to scatter them and confuse their tongues.

2. (transitive) to disintegrate, break, destroy
   • 5th century, Bible, Genesis 17.14:^[18]

     Արուն անթլփատ՝ որ ո՛չ թլփատեսցէ զմարմին անթլփատութեան իւրոյ յաւուր ութերորդի, սատակեսցի՛ անձնն այն յազգէ իւրմէ. զի ցրեա՛ց զուխտ իմ։

     Arun antʻlpʻat, or óčʻ tʻlpʻatescʻē zmarmin antʻlpʻatutʻean iwroy yawur utʻerordi, satakescʻí anjnn ayn yazgē iwrmē. zi cʻreácʻ zuxt im.

     • Translation by King James Bible

       And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

• Armenian: → ցրել (cʻrel) (learned), > ցրվել (cʻrvel) (inherited)

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “ցիր”, 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 456–457
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “ցրեմ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1987) Hayocʻ lezvi patmutʻyun; naxagrayin žamanakašrǰan [History of the Armenian language: The Pre-Literary Period]‎ (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 597, considers the similarity with the Kartvelian as accidental
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “ցրեմ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy