-ի

From Old Armenian -ի (-i).

-ի • (-i)

1. -able

   հասկանալ ― haskanal ― to understand

   հասկանալի ― haskanali ― understandable

   բուժել ― bužel ― to cure

   բուժելի ― buželi ― curable

   ուղղել ― ułłel ― to correct

   ուղղելի ― ułłeli ― corrigible

2. forming botanical names

From Old Armenian -ի (-i).

-ի • (-i)

1. the singular and plural dative case ending of i-declension nouns

   Հայաստանի ― Hayastani ― dative singular case of Հայաստան (Hayastan)

   քաղաքի ― kʿałakʿi ― dative singular case of քաղաք (kʿałakʿ)

   քաղաքների ― kʿałakʿneri ― dative plural case of քաղաք (kʿałakʿ)

• -ու (-u)

From Old Armenian -ի (-i).

-ի • (-i)

1. forming botanical names

From the Proto-Indo-European *-yo- or *-yeh₂- suffix. Compare the same suffix in Sanskrit स्वप्न्य (svápnya), Ancient Greek δεξιός (dexiós), Latin somnium. The genitive ending -ի (-i) may have the same origin.

-ի • (-i)

1. forming adjectives

   աղ ― ał ― salt

   աղի ― ałi ― salty

   բարք ― barkʿ ― disposition, temper

   բարի ― bari ― kind, good

   սոսկալ ― soskal ― to be greatly afraid

   սոսկալի ― soskali ― horrible, terrible

2. forming botanical names

   կաղին ― kałin ― acorn

   կաղնի ― kałni ― oak

3. made of

   կտաւ ― ktaw ― flax

   կտաւի ― ktawi ― linen

4. forming adverbs

• Armenian: -ի (-i)
• Middle Armenian: -ի (-i)

• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1998), “-ի”, in Hin hayereni verǰacancʿneri cagumə [The Origin of Old Armenian Suffixes] (Hayocʿ lezvi hamematakan kʿerakanutʿyan harcʿer; 2) (in Armenian), Yerevan: Anania Širakacʿi, pages 5–48
• Godel, Robert (1975) An introduction to the study of classical Armenian, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, page 66

The genitive/dative/locative marker for i-declension is identical with the -ի- (-i-) stem vowel. In Godel's words, the remaining stem, standing in contrast to the nominative/accusative singular (which lost its stem), was apt to function as a full-fledged case form. According to Godel, in the case of the i-a-declension we are dealing with a Proto-Armenian morphological innovation: the new morpheme was abstracted from the genitive/dative/locative case ending -ի (-i) of i-stem nouns and applied to a-stem nouns, whose original endings had been lost.

-ի • (-i)

1. singular genitive/dative/locative marker for i-declension words

   բանի ― bani ― genitive/dative/locative singular of բան (ban)

2. singular genitive/dative/locative marker for i-a-declension words

   լեզուի ― lezui ― genitive/dative/locative singular of լեզու (lezu)

   աշակերտի ― ašakerti ― genitive/dative/locative singular of աշակերտ (ašakert)

• Armenian: -ի (-i)

• Godel, Robert (1975) An introduction to the study of classical Armenian, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, page 104