բոզաւագ

Middle Armenian

Etymology

“Head of prostitutes”, from բոզ (boz) +‎ աւագ (awag).

Noun

բոզաւագ • (bozawag)

1. whoremaster, pimp, procurer
   • 12–13th century, Vardan Aygekcʻi, Žołovacʻoykʻ aṙakacʻ Vardanay [Collections of Fables of Vardan] :

     […] այլ եւս առաջնորդք, որ հոգևոր հայր են ժոդովրդեանն և [ոչ] խրատեն զժողովուրդս և զկաշառակերսն և զշահառոյս և զբոզաւագս և զարբեցողս, այլ առնուն կաշառ ի նոցանէ և թողուն զնոսա ի մեղս իւրեանց […]

     […] ayl ews aṙaǰnordkʻ, or hogewor hayr en žodovrdeann ew [očʻ] xraten zžoġovurds ew zkašaṙakersn ew zšahaṙoys ew zbozawags ew zarbecʻoġs, ayl aṙnun kašaṙ i nocʻanē ew tʻoġun znosa i meġs iwreancʻ […]

   • Yaysmawurkʻ [The Armenian Church Synaxarion] January 3, (1706 edition):

     Եւ տարեալ ՚ի Թաւրէզ քաղաք շահաստան․ վաճառեցին կնոջ միոյ բոզաւագի․ և կինն այն բոզաւագ՝ էր հաւատովն քրիստոնեայ։ Իբրև գիտաց երիցակինն Յուսկայ՝ զբոզաւագն թէ քրիստոնեայ է։

     Ew tareal ’i Tʻawrēz kʻałakʻ šahastan; vačaṙecʻin knoǰ mioy bozawagi; ew kinn ayn bozawag, ēr hawatovn kʻristoneay. Ibrew gitacʻ ericʻakinn Yuskay, zbozawagn tʻē kʻristoneay ē.

     And having taken to the large city of Tabriz, they sold to a certain procuress. And this procuress was a Christian by faith. […]

   • 15th century, Yakob Netrarencʻ, Otanawors Yakob vardapetē asacʻeal... , (Matenadaran manuscript no. 2672, page 369a):

     […] տարեալ Թավրէզ մեծ քաղաքի, վաճառեցին բոզաւագի […]

     […] tareal Tʻavrēz mec kʻaġakʻi, vačaṙecʻin bozawagi […]

     […] having taken to the large city of Tabriz, they sold to a whoremaster […]

Descendants

• → Armenian: բոզավագ (bozavag)

Further reading

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971) “բոզ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume I, Yerevan: University Press, page 459a
• Brand, John, Awgerean, Yarutʻiwn (1825) “բոզաւագ”, in Baṙaran hayerēn ew angłiakan [A Dictionary Armenian and English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 128a
• J̌axǰaxean, Manuēl (1837) “բոզաւագ”, in Baṙgirkʻ i barbaṙ hay ew italakan [Armenian–Italian Dictionary], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 526b
• Ġazaryan, Ṙuben, Avetisyan, Henrik (2009) “բոզաւագ”, in Miǰin hayereni baṙaran [Dictionary of Middle Armenian] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 122a
• Norayr N. Biwzandacʻi (2000) “բոզաւագ”, in Martiros Minassian, editor, Baṙagirkʻ storin hayerēni i matenagrutʻeancʻ ŽA–ŽĒ darucʻ [Dictionary of Middle Armenian Based on the Literature of 11–17th Centuries]‎^[1], edited from the author's unfinished manuscript written 1884–1915, Geneva: Martiros Minassian, page 113
• Mxitʻar Sebastacʻi (1749) “բոզաւագ”, in Baṙgirkʻ Haykazean lezui [Dictionary of the Armenian Language]‎^[2] (in Old Armenian), volume I, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 158a
• Villotte, Jacques (1714) “lena”, in Dictionarium Novum Latino-Armenium [New Latin–Armenian Dictionary]‎^[3], Rome: Typographia Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide, page 439a