ბალახი

Georgian

Alternative forms

  • ბალახ (balax) (Ingilo dialect)

Etymology

Of the same origin as Old Armenian բալախ (balax, Salicornia), Armenian բալախ (balax, Salicornia; (in dialects) the name of various grasses). The direction of borrowing is uncertain. Klimov / Xalilov derive the Georgian from Armenian, whereas Ačaṙean takes the derivation in the opposite direction.

The same word is found in other languages of the region, including Turkish, Azeri and Kurdish, in most cases borrowed from Armenian (see in բալախ (balax)), but in case of Svan ბალა̈ხ (baläx, plant), Tsakhur балах (balaχ, a kind of leafless grass growing on northern slopes of mountains) and probably Azeri balax borrowed directly from Georgian.

For a possible semantic loan for the “marijuana” sense compare Russian трава́ (travá). The same semantic loan is observed in Armenian խոտ (xot).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɑlɑxi/
  • Hyphenation: ბა‧ლა‧ხი

Noun

ბალახი (balaxi) (plural ბალახები)

  1. grass
  2. (slang) marijuana or hashish

Inflection

.Georgian.inflection-table tr:hover
{
	background-color:#EBEBEB;
}

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • ბალახისფერი (balaxisperi)
  • ბალახიანი (balaxiani)
  • ბალახოვანი (balaxovani)
  • ბალახკვერცხა (balaxḳvercxa)
  • ბალახფიჩვა (balaxpičva)
  • ბალახ-წაბლა (balax-c̣abla)
  • ბალახ-კოვზა (balax-ḳovza)
  • ბალახ-ბულახი (balax-bulaxi)
  • ბალახ-ვარდა (balax-varda)

Descendants

  • → Azeri: balax
  • → Old Armenian: բալախ (balax) (possibly) (see there for further descendants)
  • → Svan: ბალა̈ხ (baläx, plant)
  • → Tsakhur: балах (balaχ, a kind of leafless grass growing on northern slopes of mountains)

References

  • Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1971), բալախ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume I, 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, pages 387–388
  • Klimov, G. A.; Xalilov, M. Š. (2003) Slovarʹ kavkazskix jazykov. Sopostavlenije osnovnoj leksiki [Dictionary of Caucasian Languages. A comparison of the Basic Vocabulary] (in Russian), Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, →ISBN, pages 218, 221
  • orbeliani, sulxan-saba (1685–1716), iordanišvili s., editor, siṭq̇vis ḳona kartuli, romel ars leksiḳoni [The Wisp of Georgian Words That Beeth a Dictionary], Tbilisi: Georgian SSR print, published 1949, page 44
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