այս

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /ɑjs/,
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /ɑjs/,

• Audio (Eastern Armenian):

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Learned borrowing from Old Armenian այս (ays). The dialectal forms are inherited. Doublet of աս (as).

• էս (ēs) — dialectal

այս • (ays)

1. this

   Այս տունը իմն է։ ― Ays tunə imn ē. ― This house is mine.

2. these

այս and սա (sa) form a pronoun-determiner pair. In the standard language, այս must modify a noun, whereas սա can never. These apply also to այդ (ayd), այն (ayn) and դա (da), նա (na).

• այդ (ayd)
• այն (ayn)
• սա (sa)

Learned borrowing from Old Armenian այս (ays).

այս • (ays)

1. (archaic) evil spirit

From the demonstrative particle *այ- (*ay-) +‎ *սո- (*so-). For the first see այն (ayn).

այս • (ays)

1. (demonstrative) this

   ասացից զայս ինչ եւ զայն ― asacʻicʻ zays inčʻ ew zayn ― I shall say this and that, so and so

   այս անգամ ― ays angam ― this time, this once

   այս անուն ― ays anun ― such-a-one

   այս նիշ ― ays niš ― marked thus, having this mark, such

   այսու ամենայնիւ ― aysu amenayniw ― still, nevertheless, as for the rest

   յայսմ հետէ ― yaysm hetē ― hereafter, henceforward, henceforth, from this moment or hour, for the future.

   յայսմ վայրի ― yaysm vayri ― here, in this place; now

   յայս սակս ― yays saks ― it is why, for this purpose or reason, on this account, consequently

   ցայս ցայն ― cʻays cʻayn ― both as to this and to that, considering both sides of the case

• սա (sa), սոյն (soyn)

• Armenian: այս (ays), աս (as)

• այդ (ayd)
• այն (ayn)

• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “այս”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “այս”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979) “այս”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press
• Abrahamyan, Ašot (1976) Grabari jeṙnark [A Handbook of Old Armenian]‎ (in Armenian), 4th edition, Yerevan: Luys
• Godel, Robert (1975) An introduction to the study of classical Armenian, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, page 107

The origin is uncertain.

Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)nsu-yo- and cognate with Sanskrit असुर (ásura, “god, lord, name of a group of gods”), Avestan 𐬀𐬵𐬎 (ahu, “lord, overlord”), Hittite (ḫaš-, “to procreate”), Proto-Germanic *ansuz.

Alternatively, a Mediterranean-Pontic substrate word related to Etruscan 𐌀𐌉𐌔 (ais, “god”).

For the sense development compare Classical Syriac ܙܝܩܐ (zīqā, “strong wind; a type of demon”).

այս • (ays)

2. (rare) wind
   • 5th century, Eznik Kołbacʻi, Ełc ałandocʻ 116:^[1]

     քանզի յորժամ մեք ասեմք, թե «Սիք շնչէ», ստորնեայք ասեն «Այս շնչէ»։

     […] kʻanzi yoržam mekʻ asemkʻ, tʻe “Sikʻ šnčʻē”, storneaykʻ asen “Ays šnčʻē”.

     • Translation by Blanchard & Young

       Because when we say "a breeze blows," the southerners say, "a spirit blows."

3. evil spirit

According to Eznik, այս (ays) was used in southern Armenia, whereas the synonym սիք (sikʻ) was used in northern Armenia.

• → Armenian: այս (ays) (learned)

• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “այս”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “այս”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979) “այս”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) “ays”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 59