𐽰𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽷

Nominalized and simplified form of 𐽰𐽶𐾁 (él, “realm”) +‎ 𐾁𐽶𐽷 (-lig), from Proto-Turkic *ẹ̄l (“realm”)^[1]. Cognate with Volga Bulgar يَال (yêl, “tribe”), Chuvash ял (jal, “people, society”), Old Turkic 𐰃𐰠 (il², “realm”), Turkish il (“province”), elçi (“ambassador”), Yakut ил (il, “state”) and Mongolian ᠢᠯ (il, “country”).

Unrelated to 𐽰𐽶𐾁𐾀𐽰𐽾 (élteber, “a title for kings and rulers”), which is ultimately from Sogdian 𐼹𐼰𐽂𐼱𐽀 (δʾtβr), Bactrian υιλιτοβηρο (uilitobēro) and Middle Persian lytβyyr.

𐽰𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽷 (élig /ʾylyk/ or élég /ʾylyk/)

1. (politics) king, ruler, a Terken of the Uyghur Khaganate

• ⇒ Western Yugur: eltʂi (eʰlçi, “shaman”)

From Proto-Turkic *elig ~ *ẹlig (“hand”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰠𐰏 (elig), Chuvash алӑ (ală), Turkish el and Yakut илии (ilii).

Both the 'open-e' (é) (𐽰𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽷 (ʾylyk)) and 'close-e' (e/ä) (𐽰𐾁𐽶𐽷 (ʾlyk)) variants can be seen attested, with élig being more common. Compare the similar developments in the Eastern Turkic branches, with Southern Altai ӧлӱ (ölü, “finger”), Shor инге (“hand”) and Yakut илии (ilii, “hand”), suggesting an areal shift perhaps to distinguish 𐽰𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽷 (élig, “hand, handsbreadth (unit of measure)”) from 𐽰𐾁𐽶𐽷 (elig, “fifty”).

𐽰𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽷 or 𐽰𐾁𐽶𐽷 (élig /ʾylyk/ or elig /ʾlyk/)

1. hand

   Synonym: 𐽷𐽳𐾁 (kol /⁠kwl⁠/)

2. foreleg (of animals)
3. handsbreadth, span of a hand, an unit of measure equal to a breadth of a hand

• Western Yugur: ələɣ (ïlïɣ, “hand, a unit of measure, chopsticks, method, craftsmanship”)
  • ⇒ Western Yugur: ələk (ïlïk, “hand, finger”)

• Caferoğlu, Ahmet (1968) “ilig, ilik”, in Eski Uygur Türkçesi Sözlüğü (Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları; 260) (in Turkish), Istanbul: Edebiyat Fakültesi Basımevi, page 92
• Wilkens, Jens (2021) “(1), (2) elig”, in Handworterbuch des Altuigurischen, Göttingen: Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, page 255