հայ

Armenian

Etymology

From Old Armenian հայ (hay).

Pronunciation

Noun

հայ (hay)

  1. Armenian
    Հա՞յ ես։Ha?y es.Are you an Armenian?

Declension

Derived terms

Adjective

հայ (hay)

  1. Armenian
    Synonyms: հայկական (haykakan), հայոց (hayocʿ)

Declension


Old Armenian

Etymology

The origin is disputed. The stem of the word is հայո- (hayo-), as evidenced by the o-type declension.

According to Diakonoff, the ethnonym derives from Proto-Armenian *hatiyos, *hatyos, from Urartian [script needed] (Ḫāti, the land of Hittites); compare Hittite [script needed] (Ḫatti). This name was given by Urartians to all lands west of Euphrates, including the territory around Malatya occupied by Proto-Armenians. When the Urartians were assimilated among the Proto-Armenians, they took over their Indo-European language and started calling themselves by the same name of the “Hittites”.[1]

On the other hand, Martirosyan connects հայ (hay) with the country name Hayaša- and derives both from Proto-Indo-European *áyos, h₂éyos (metal). He explains Hayaša- as “the land of metal or iron” and հայ (hay) as “inhabitant of the land of metal or iron”. Hayasa, located on the north-western corner of historical Armenia, was famous for metalworking.[2] The connection with Hayasa is repudiated by Kitazumi, pointing out that the Hittite word is attested over twenty times and written in such ways that it can only be read Ḫayaša- but with the sound inventory of Old Armenian an anlauting խ- (x-) would represent a better fit.[3]

An old proposal derives the word from Proto-Indo-European *pótis (lord, master), but a Proto-Indo-European *po- would yield Old Armenian ո- (o-): compare ոտն (otn).

Armenian tradition connects the word with the nation's legendary eponym Հայկ (Hayk).

For the other names of the Armenians see Old Persian 𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴 (a-r-mi-i-n /Armina/), Georgian სომეხი (somexi) and Northern Kurdish file.

Noun

հայ (hay)

  1. Armenian
    հայքhaykʿthe Armenians, the Armenian nation

Declension

Adjective

հայ (hay)

  1. Armenian
    հայ լեզու, բարբառhay lezu, barbaṙthe Armenian language
    թարգմանել ի հայ, յեղուլ ի հայ բանtʿargmanel i hay, yełul i hay banto translate into Armenian, into the Armenian language

Declension

Derived terms

  • հայաբարբառ (hayabarbaṙ)
  • հայադաւան (hayadawan)
  • հայազարմ (hayazarm)
  • հայազն (hayazn)
  • հայական (hayakan)
  • հայակոյտ (hayakoyt)
  • հայասեռ (hayaseṙ)
  • հայերէնախօս (hayerēnaxōs)
  • հայկաւ (haykaw)
  • հայորեար (hayorear)
  • հայութիւն (hayutʿiwn)
  • Հայք (Haykʿ)
  • հայօրէն (hayōrēn)

Descendants

References

  1. Dʹjakonov, I. M. (1968), S. T. Jeremjan, editor, Predystorija armjanskovo naroda. Istorija Armjanskovo nagorʹja s 1500 po 500 g. do n.e. Xurrity, luvijcy, protoarmjane [The Pre-History of the Armenian People. The History of the Armenian Highland from 1500 to 500 BC. Hurrians, Luwians, Proto-Armenians] (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 236
  2. Martirosyan, Hrach (2010), “hay”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden, Boston: Brill, pages 382–385
  3. Kitazumi, Tomoki (2013), “Zum Problem der Gleichung heth. Ḫayaša- = armen. haykʿ”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (in German), volume 163, pages 511–516

Further reading

  • Petrosean, H. Matatʿeay V. (1879), հայ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
  • Awetikʿean, G.; Siwrmēlean, X.; Awgerean, M. (1836–1837), հայ”, in Nor baṙgirkʿ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
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