Usually treated as a word of uncertain origin,[1][2] for which an Iranian explanation is to be sought.[3]
Has been compared to Northern Kurdish xunav, xunaf, xûnav, xinav (“dew; moisture; drizzling rain”), Central Kurdish خوناو (xunaw), خِناو (xinaw, “dew”), خوناوکە (xunawke, “drizzling rain”).[4][5] Note also Northern Kurdish xwonav (“dew”) recorded by Orbeli in Moks.[6] Ačaṙean considers the similarity accidental, because Justi derives the Kurdish from Persian خونابه (xunâba), خوناب (xunâb, “bloody water; tears of blood”), containing خون (xun, “blood”).[7] However, such a semantic development seems unlikely. Old Armenian խոնաւ (xonaw) / հոնաւ (honaw) is probably connected with the Kurdish after all and is borrowed from its unknown Middle Iranian cognate. The ultimate origin of the Iranian etymon is perhaps the Proto-Iranian root *hau- ~ hu- (“to extract, (ex)press, squeeze out (juice)”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *saw-, from Proto-Indo-European *sew- (“juice; liquid, rain”), whence Avestan 𐬵𐬎𐬥𐬀𐬊𐬌𐬙𐬌 (hunaoiti, “presses, extracts”), Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (hwnytn' /hunīdan/, “to extract, express (juice)”). ESIJa remarks that the Iranian reflexes of this root are commonly from the present stem: *hu-nu- ~ hu-nau- ~ hu-nwa-.[8] Alternatively, the ultimate source is a different Proto-Iranian root: *hwaid- (“to sweat”), from Proto-Indo-European *sweyd-, whence Southern Kurdish خۊسە (xüse, “dew”), Middle Persian 𐫟𐫇𐫏𐫅 (xwyd /xwēd/, “damp, moist, fresh”), Persian خیسدن (xêsedan, “to become wet, soak”), Yazghulami xist (“wet, moist, soaked”). On these Iranian roots see Cheung[9] and the ESIJa,[8] without the Kurdish or Armenian. In either case, the second component may be a descendant of Proto-Iranian *Hā́fš (“water”).
According to Dankoff, Turkish dialectal hanav (“moist soil suitable for seeds to sprout”) (Bitlis, Malatya), hinav (“moist soil”) (Van) are borrowed from Armenian.[10] However, Ačaṙean does not record any dialectal descendants of Old Armenian խոնաւ (xonaw), apart from Mush խօնավուտեն (xōnavuten, “humidity”) and Moks խոնավ (xonav, “rain”). The Turkish words are more likely borrowed from Kurdish, given the more suitable meanings and forms in Kurdish. Moks խոնավ (xonav, “rain”) may also be borrowed from Kurdish, which has the meaning "drizzling rain".
խոնաւ • (xonaw)
- humid, damp, wet, moist
- Synonyms: նայ (nay), թաց (tʻacʻ), գէջ (gēǰ), ջրի (ǰri)
խոնաւ • (xonaw)
- humidity
- Synonyms: խոնաւութիւն (xonawutʻiwn), թացութիւն (tʻacʻutʻiwn), գիջութիւն (giǰutʻiwn), տամկութիւն (tamkutʻiwn)
- → Armenian: խոնավ (xonav)
- ^ Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “խոնաւ”, 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, pages 393–394
- ^ Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 963
- ^ J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “խոնաւ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 340b
- ^ Chyet, Michael L. (2003) “xunav”, in Kurdish–English Dictionary[1], with selected etymologies by Martin Schwartz, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, page 667b
- ^ Cabolov, R. L. (2010) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ kurdskovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Kurdish Language] (in Russian), volume II, Moscow: Russian Academy Press Vostochnaya Literatura, page 484
- ^ Orbeli, I. A. (2002) “xunav, xwonav”, in Курдско-русский словарь [Kurdish–Russian Dictionary] (Избранные труды в двух томах; II.2)[2] (in Russian), edited by Ž. S. Musaeljan and I. I. Cukerman from the author's manuscript written during his 1911–1912 Moks expedition, Yerevan: Academy Press, →ISBN, page 191b
- ^ Jaba, Auguste, Justi, Ferdinand (1879) Dictionnaire Kurde-Français [Kurdish–French Dictionary], Saint Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, page 166a
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rastorgujeva, V. S., Edelʹman, D. I. (2007) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume III, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 378, 455–457
- ^ Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 134, 143
- ^ Dankoff, Robert (1995) Armenian Loanwords in Turkish (Turcologica; 21), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, page 66
- Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “խոնաւ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
- Ġazarean, Ṙubēn (2006) “խոնաւ”, in Grabari homanišneri baṙaran [Dictionary of Old Armenian Synonyms], Yerevan: University Press
- Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “խոնաւ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
