վէպ

The origin is uncertain. Perhaps an ancient borrowing from Ancient Greek ϝέπος (wépos), the older form of ἔπος (épos).

Alternatively, according to Bailey, an Iranian borrowing, going back to Old Iranian *waipa- (“inspired song”), which later acquired the meaning “imaginative enunciation, fable” → “narrative, story”. In this case cognate with Avestan 𐬬𐬌𐬟𐬭𐬀‎ (vifra, “an epithet of the navigator Pā^urva”) and Sanskrit विप्र (vipra, “trembling, excited, inspired; poet, singer”), all ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to swing, shake, turn around”).

վէպ • (vēp)

1. story, myth, epic, legend, tale

• Armenian: վեպ (vep)

• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1971–1979), “վէպ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press
• Asatrjan, G. S. (2013), “Parfjanskoje gōsān [Parthian gōsān]”, in Toxtasʹjev S. R., Lurʹje P. B., editors, Commentationes Iranicae. Sbornik statej k 90-letiju Vladimira Aronoviča Livšica‎ (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Nestor-Istorija, →ISBN, page 104
• Awetikʿean, G.; Siwrmēlean, X.; Awgerean, M. (1836–1837), “վէպ”, in Nor baṙgirkʿ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Benveniste, Émile (1945), “Etudes iraniennes”, in Transactions of the Philological Society (in French), volume 44, issue 1, page 74f
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010), “վէպ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 217
• Petrosean, H. Matatʿeay V. (1879), “վէպ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy