ճճի

Old Armenian

Alternative forms

• ճիճի (čiči), ճի (či)

Etymology

An ideophone for a squishy bug, with parallels in the languages of the Caucasus: compare Georgian ჭია (č̣ia), ჭუა (č̣ua), ჭიაჭუა (č̣iač̣ua), Laz წიწი (ǯiǯi), Budukh чич (čič), Kryts çiç (“worm”). Note also Middle Armenian ճիճու լինել (čiču linel, “to be squashed”) and Proto-Kartvelian *čečw- ~ *ččw- (“to soften”) (whence Georgian ჩვილი (čvili)).

Noun

ճճի • (čči)

1. bug, insect, worm, vermin

Declension

o-a-type

	singular		plural
nominative	ճճի (čči)		ճճիք (ččikʻ)
genitive	ճճուոյ (ččuoy)		ճճեաց (ččeacʻ)
dative	ճճուոյ (ččuoy)		ճճեաց (ččeacʻ)
accusative	ճճի (čči)		ճճիս (ččis)
ablative	ճճուոյ (ččuoy)		ճճեաց (ččeacʻ)
instrumental	ճճեաւ (ččeaw)		ճճեաւք = ճճեօք (ččeawkʻ = ččeōkʻ)
locative	ճճի (čči)		ճճիս (ččis)

o-a-type

	singular		plural
nominative	ճճի (čči)		ճճիք (ččikʻ)
genitive	ճճոյ (ččoy)		ճճեաց (ččeacʻ)
dative	ճճոյ (ččoy)		ճճեաց (ččeacʻ)
accusative	ճճի (čči)		ճճիս (ččis)
ablative	ճճոյ (ččoy)		ճճեաց (ččeacʻ)
instrumental	ճճեաւ (ččeaw)		ճճեաւք = ճճեօք (ččeawkʻ = ččeōkʻ)
locative	ճճի (čči)		ճճիս (ččis)

Derived terms

• բազմաճճի (bazmačči)
• ճճեկեր (ččeker)
• ճճեհար (ččehar)
• չարաճճի (čʻaračči)
• չարաճճիկ (čʻaraččik)

 

Descendants

• Middle Armenian: ճճի (čči), ճճու (čču), ճիճու (čiču)
  • Armenian: ճիճու (čiču), ճճու (čču), ճճի (čči), ճիճու (čiču) — Akhaltsikhe, Ararat, Erzurum, Tbilisi, ճըջու (čəǰu) — Mush, ճիջու (čiǰu) — Alashkert, ջիջի (ǰiǰi) — Aslanbeg, Tokat, Zeitun, Haçin, Kharberd, Sivas, ճո̈ւճո̈ւ (čüčü) — Shamakhi, ջիջու (ǰiǰu) — Hamshen, ջուջու (ǰuǰu) — Nor Nakhichevan, ջիջա (ǰiǰa, “silkworm”) — Svedia
    • → Azerbaijani: cücü
    • → Turkish: cici, cucu, cücü

Further reading

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1977) “ճճի”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume III, Yerevan: University Press, page 206ab
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “ճճի”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “ճճի”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 494b
• Nikolaev, Sergei L., Starostin, Sergei A. (1994) “*čVrčV / *č̣Vrč̣V”, in A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary‎^[1], Moscow: Asterisk Publishers
• 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 939
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “ճճի”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Thorsø, Rasmus (2023) Prehistoric loanwords in Armenian: Hurro-Urartian, Kartvelian, and the unclassified substrate‎^[2], PhD dissertation, Leiden University, page 62