խօզ

Old Armenian

The original spelling is խաւզ (xawz). Usually considered a word of unknown origin.^[1]^[2]^[3] Related to Old Georgian მხავსი (mxavsi), Georgian ხავსი (xavsi, “moss”), which Ačaṙyan derives from Armenian.^[1]

Probably an Iranian borrowing: compare Persian (xaze, “moss”), Northern Kurdish kevz (“moss; water moss”), Central Kurdish قەوزە (qewze, “algae”) and Zazaki hewz (“green”). Compare also Ossetian хӕфс (xæfs, “frog”), from Proto-Iranian *kacyápah. For the association of "moss" and "algae" with "frog" compare Persian (jol-vazağ, “alga”, literally “toad-clothes”), (jolbak, “alga”, literally “frog-clothes”), (čağzvâre, “water moss”, literally “frog-cover”), Kermanic (baža, “moss, algae”) (from (*jol-baža, literally “frog-clothes”)^[4] and Armenian գորտնբուրդ (gortnburd, “algae”, literally “frog-wool”), գորտնխալի (gortnxali, “algae”, literally “frog-carpet”).

խօզ • (xōz)

Middle Armenian: խօզ (xōz), ղօզ (ġōz)
- → Armenian: խոզ (xoz)
→? Old Georgian: მხავსი (mxavsi)
- Georgian: ხავსი (xavsi), ფხავსი (pxavsi) — Guria, Chveneburi
  - → Bats: ხავს (xavs)
  - → Svan: ხაუ̂ის (xaûis), ხაუ̂იზ (xaûiz)
  - → Tsakhur: хавсий

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “խօզ”, 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 432b
^ Martirosyan, Hrach (2009) “Armenian mawr ‘mud, marsh’ and its hydronimical value”, in Aramazd: Armenian journal of Near Eastern studies‎^[1], volume 4, number 1, pages 73–85 and 179–180
^ J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “խօզ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik
^ Asatrian, Garnik (2011) A Comparative Vocabulary of Central Iranian Dialects‎^[2] (in Persian), Tehran: Safir Ardehal Publications, pages 76–77