шаазгай

Mongolian

Etymology

From Proto-Mongolic *saxajïgaï (“magpie”), perhaps from Proto-Turkic *sagïsgan (“magpie”).

Compare Dongxiang sazhigvei, Turkish saksağan.

Pronunciation

• (Ulaanbaatar) IPA^(key): /ʃaːt͡sɢai/, [ˈʃaːt͡sʁæe]

Noun

шаазгай • (šaazgaj) (Mongolian spelling ᠱᠠᠭᠠᠵᠠᠭᠠᠢ (šaɣaǰaɣai)); (regular declension)

1. Eurasian magpie, (Pica pica)

   Synonym: алаг шаазгай (alag šaazgaj)

Derived terms

• ятга шаазгай (jatga šaazgaj, “jay”, literally “zither magpie”)
• овоо босгоогүй бол шаазгай хаанаас суух вэ (ovoo bosgoogüj bol šaazgaj xaanaas suux ve, “it takes two to tango”, literally “where would have the magpie perched had the cairn not been built”)

See also

• шаг шаг (šag šag, “the sound magpies make”)
• шагших (šagšix, “to produce this sound, to chatter”)