Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/za-

This Proto-Kartvelian entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

The full form is only found in Svan. In Georgian and Zan languages it appears in compounds, such as Proto-Georgian-Zan *za-mt-ar- (“winter”) and Proto-Georgian-Zan *za-px-ul- (“summer”). According to Klimov (1998), Proto-Kartvelian speakers divided the year into two basic seasons.

*za-

1. year
2. season

• ⇒ Proto-Georgian-Zan: *za-mt-ar- (“winter”)
  • Old Georgian: ზამთარი (zamtari)
    • Georgian: ზამთარი (zamtari)
  • Zan:
    • Mingrelian: ზოთონჯი (zotonǯi)
• ⇒ Proto-Georgian-Zan: *za-px-ul- (“summer”)
  • Old Georgian: ზაფხული (zapxuli)
    • Georgian: ზაფხული (zapxuli)
• ⇒? Proto-Kartvelian: *za-max- (“New Year”)
  • Proto-Georgian-Zan:
    • Zan:
      • >? Mingrelian: *ზომხა (*zomxa)
        • → Svan: ზომხა (zomxa)
  • >? Svan: ზა̈ჲმახე (zäymaxe), ზა̈მა̈ხე (zämäxe), ზაჲმახე (zaymaxe), ზა̈ჲმა̈ხე (zäymäxe)

• Svan: ზა̈ჲ (zäy, “year”), ზა̈უ̂ (zäû, “this year”), ლჷზა̈ჲ (ləzäy, “of this year”)

• Klimov, G. A. (1998) Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages (Trends in linguistics. Documentation; 16), New York, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, page 56
• Fähnrich, Heinz, Sarǯvelaʒe, Zurab (2000) Kartvelur enata eṭimologiuri leksiḳoni [Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages] (in Georgian), 2nd edition, Tbilisi: University Press, pages 206–207
• Fähnrich, Heinz (2007) Kartwelisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Kartvelian Etymological Dictionary] (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.18) (in German), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 166