ատրճանակ

Learned borrowing from Old Armenian ատրճանակ (atrčanak).

• Audio

  (file)

• (Eastern Armenian, standard) IPA^(key): [ɑtəɾt͡ʃɑˈnɑk]

ատրճանակ • (atrčanak)

1. pistol, handgun; revolver

Although attested only in modern texts, ատրճանակ (atrčanak) has a shape of classical Middle Iranian borrowings. Ačaṙean reconstructs the classical form as *ատրջանակ (*atrǰanak), supposedly borrowed from Middle Iranian *āturǰanak, composed of the words for ‘fire’ (see Proto-Iranian *ātr-) and ‘to hit, strike’ (see Proto-Indo-Iranian *ǰʰánti). For the suffix see -ակ (-ak). He speculates that the initial meaning was ‘device for making fire, fire-steel, flint’: compare Persian آتش‌زنه‎ (âtašzana, “fire-steel, tinder-box”) from آتش زدن‎ (âtaš zadan, “to set fire to”). From this meaning some modern author coined the sense ‘pistol’. For such a semantic development compare Turkish çakmaklı (“flintlock gun”) from çakmak (“fire-steel”).[1][2] Compare also հրաճան (hračan), included in a couple of dictionaries as a translation of ‘musket’,[3][4] which can be a learned Armenization of ատրաճան (atračan), by replacing Iranian *ātr- with native հուր (hur, “fire”).

ատրճանակ • (atrčanak)

1. (post-classical, modern) pistol, handgun; revolver
   • 1805, Łukas Inčičean, Ašxarhagrutʿiwn čʿoricʿ masancʿ ašxarhi, Asioy, Ewropoy, Apʿrikoy ew Amerikoy [Geography of Four Continents: Asia, Europe, Africa and America] part 2, volume 4, page 320, (in Google Books):

     Զէնք հետևակ զօրաց են սաղաւարտ, վահան, երկու թուր, մի սուին և ատրճան, այն է՝ թիւֆէնկ։ Իսկ հեծել՟ք յոտից մինչև ՚ի գլուխ զրահաւոր են, և ունին ատրճանակ․ այն է՝ փիշտով, նետ, նիզակ և թուր։

     Zēnkʿ hetewak zōracʿ en saławart, vahan, erku tʿur, mi suin ew atrčan, ayn ē, tʿiwfēnk. Isk hecel.kʿ yoticʿ minčʿew ’i glux zrahawor en, ew unin atrčanak; ayn ē, pʿištov, net, nizak ew tʿur.

     The munitions of the infantry are the helmet, shield, two swords, one սուին (suin) and atrčan, i.e. a musket. Whereas the cavalrymen are armoured from top to toe and have an atrčanak, i.e. a pistol [Ottoman Turkish پشتو‎ (piştov)], an arrow, spear and a sword.

• Ačaṙean treats ատրճան (atrčan) / ատրաճան (atračan) as a mere alternative form of ատրճանակ (atrčanak), but a careful study of the texts shows that ատրճան (atrčan) refers to a sort of long gun. Note for example the quoted passage from Inčičean, where the pair is used contrastively. It is possible that ատրճանակ (atrčanak, “handgun”) is formed from ատրճան (atrčan) with the diminutive suffix -ակ (-ak). Alternatively, ատրճան (atrčan) may be a back-formation from the original ատրճանակ (atrčanak), where the Iranian ending was reinterpreted as the diminutive suffix.
• The earliest attestation recorded by Ačaṙean is from 1796, but ատրաճան (atračan) has been attested in a 1772 book: see in ատրճան (atrčan).

• ատրճան (atrčan), ատրաճան (atračan)

• → Armenian: ատրճանակ (atrčanak)

• J̌axǰaxean, Manuēl (1804), “pistola”, in Baṙaran yitalakan lezuē i hay ew i tačik barbaṙ [Dizionario Italiano-Armeno-Turco], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 587b
• Petrosean, H. Matatʿeay V. (1879), “ատրճանակ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 69a
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010), “ատրճանակ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 83a