լավաշ

Armenian

A dialectal word, unattested in Old or Middle Armenian. Related to synonymous Middle Armenian լաւշ (lawš) / լօշ (lōš), whence լոշ (loš). The same word is found in neighbouring languages: Persian (lavâš), Talysh ləvoş, Georgian ლავაში (lavaši), Turkish lavaş, dialectal loş (Malatya), Azerbaijani lavaş, Turkmen lawaş, Tatar ләвәш (läwäş), Northern Kurdish lewaş, loş, lûşe, Central Kurdish لەواشە (lewaşe), Zazaki levaş, lewaş, lawaşe, lebaş, lebaşe, lebaşi, labaş, labaşe, lavaşi, all referring to types of flat bread. Some of these may be borrowed from Armenian. Lavash is usually considered an Armenian bread. Ačaṙean reports that in Tehran it is called (nân-e armani, literally “Armenian bread”).

Almost certainly ultimately of Semitic origin: compare Samaritan Aramaic ࠋࠅࠔ (lwš /⁠lūš⁠/, “dough”), Aramaic לַיְשָׁא / לֵישָׁא (layšā, lēšā, “dough”), Classical Syriac ܠܝܫܐ (layšā, “lump of dough”), Akkadian 𒇷𒄿𒋙 (/⁠līšu⁠/, “dough, paste”), Biblical Hebrew לַיִשׁ (láyiš, “dough”), and particularly Assyrian Neo-Aramaic ܠܵܘܵܫܵܐ (lāwāšā, “a flap of thin bread”), Hulaulá lawaša (“long pitta bread”), Lishán Didán lawaša, lwaša (“flat thin cake of bread”), plausibly also Punic 𐤋𐤅𐤕 (lawāṯ (uncertain quantities), “Etruscan honeysuckle”) due to its wound petals, all from a verb Proto-Semitic *lawaṯ- (“to wind, to wallow”) which means in the Aramaic languages “to knead”.

լավաշ • (lavaš)

lavash (a soft, thin flatbread made with flour, water, yeast, and salt, baked in a tandoor)
Synonym: լոշ (loš)
(figuratively) very long text

i-type, inanimate (Eastern Armenian)
	singular	plural
nominative	լավաշ (lavaš)	լավաշներ (lavašner)
dative	լավաշի (lavaši)	լավաշների (lavašneri)
ablative	լավաշից (lavašicʻ)	լավաշներից (lavašnericʻ)
instrumental	լավաշով (lavašov)	լավաշներով (lavašnerov)
locative	լավաշում (lavašum)	լավաշներում (lavašnerum)

	definite forms
nominative	լավաշը/լավաշն (lavašə/lavašn)	լավաշները/լավաշներն (lavašnerə/lavašnern)
dative	լավաշին (lavašin)	լավաշներին (lavašnerin)

	1^st person possessive forms (my)
nominative	լավաշս (lavašs)	լավաշներս (lavašners)
dative	լավաշիս (lavašis)	լավաշներիս (lavašneris)
ablative	լավաշիցս (lavašicʻs)	լավաշներիցս (lavašnericʻs)
instrumental	լավաշովս (lavašovs)	լավաշներովս (lavašnerovs)
locative	լավաշումս (lavašums)	լավաշներումս (lavašnerums)

	2^nd person possessive forms (your)
nominative	լավաշդ (lavašd)	լավաշներդ (lavašnerd)
dative	լավաշիդ (lavašid)	լավաշներիդ (lavašnerid)
ablative	լավաշիցդ (lavašicʻd)	լավաշներիցդ (lavašnericʻd)
instrumental	լավաշովդ (lavašovd)	լավաշներովդ (lavašnerovd)
locative	լավաշումդ (lavašumd)	լավաշներումդ (lavašnerumd)

“lwš”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “լօշ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume II, Yerevan: University Press, page 308a
Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “Haykakankʻ (Armeniaca)”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, page 639
Chyet, Michael L. (2003) “loş”, in Kurdish–English Dictionary‎^[1], with selected etymologies by Martin Schwartz, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, page 359a
J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “լաւշ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, pages 292–293
Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 305