մոզ

Armenian

Etymology

A dialectal word not attested in Old or Middle Armenian literature.

J̌ahukyan considers this a lexical archaism and with Old Armenian մժեխ (mžex) and մուն (mun) derives from Proto-Indo-European *mū-, *mus-, among the cognates comparing especially Albanian myzë, mizë (“fly”).^[1]^[2] See Pokorny for this root.^[3]

But most likely a borrowing from Northern Kurdish moz. The borrowing is from Kurdish into Armenian and not vice versa in view of the lack of attestation in old literature, unexplained -զ (-z), relatively limited distribution in Armenian dialects, richer meanings found in Kurdish and probable native Iranian etymology of moz.

The idiomatic sense մոզ անել (moz anel) is borrowed from Northern Kurdish moz kirin (“(of cattle) to fly into a rage as a result of horsefly biting”).

Pronunciation

(Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /moz/, [moz]
(Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /moz/, [moz]

Noun

մոզ • (moz)

(dialectal, Ararat, Van, Mush, Nor Bayazet, Sasun, Kharberd) a kind of fly that bites horses and cattle
Synonym: գոռեխ (goṙex)

մոզ անել ― moz anel ― (of cattle) to shy, run away in fear due to a bite; (figuratively, of humans) to shirk work

Declension

i-type, animate (Eastern Armenian)
	singular	plural
nominative	մոզ (moz)	մոզեր (mozer)
dative	մոզի (mozi)	մոզերի (mozeri)
ablative	մոզից (mozicʻ)	մոզերից (mozericʻ)
instrumental	մոզով (mozov)	մոզերով (mozerov)
locative	—	—
	definite forms
nominative	մոզը/մոզն (mozə/mozn)	մոզերը/մոզերն (mozerə/mozern)
dative	մոզին (mozin)	մոզերին (mozerin)
	1^st person possessive forms (my)
nominative	մոզս (mozs)	մոզերս (mozers)
dative	մոզիս (mozis)	մոզերիս (mozeris)
ablative	մոզիցս (mozicʻs)	մոզերիցս (mozericʻs)
instrumental	մոզովս (mozovs)	մոզերովս (mozerovs)
locative	—	—
	2^nd person possessive forms (your)
nominative	մոզդ (mozd)	մոզերդ (mozerd)
dative	մոզիդ (mozid)	մոզերիդ (mozerid)
ablative	մոզիցդ (mozicʻd)	մոզերիցդ (mozericʻd)
instrumental	մոզովդ (mozovd)	մոզերովդ (mozerovd)
locative	—	—

Derived terms

մոզոտել (mozotel)
մոզտկել (moztkel)
մոզռիլ (mozṙil)

References

^ Džaukjan, G. B. (1967) Очерки по истории дописьменного периода армянского языка [An Outline of the History of the Pre-Literary Period of the Armenian Language]‎^[1] (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 256
^ J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1972) Hay barbaṙagitutʻyan neracutʻyun [Introduction into Armenian Dialectology]‎^[2] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 330
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 752

Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1913) “մոզ”, in Hayerēn gawaṙakan baṙaran [Armenian Provincial Dictionary] (Ēminean azgagrakan žoġovacu; 9) (in Armenian), Tiflis: Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, page 789b
Adjarian, H. (1909–1911) “Recueil de mots kurdes en dialecte de Novo-Bayazet [Compendium of Kurdish Words in the Nor Bayazet Dialect]”, in Mémoires de la Société de Linguistique de Paris (in French), volume XVI, page 361a
Amatuni, Sahak (1912) “բոռեղ”, in Hayocʻ baṙ u ban [Armenian Words and Idioms] (in Armenian), Vagharshapat: Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, page 114
Amatuni, Sahak (1912) “մոզ անել”, in Hayocʻ baṙ u ban [Armenian Words and Idioms] (in Armenian), Vagharshapat: Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, pages 485–486
Malxaseancʻ, Stepʻan (1944) “մոզ”, in Hayerēn bacʻatrakan baṙaran [Armenian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Armenian), volume III, Yerevan: State Publishing House, page 352bc
Sargsyan, Artem et al., editors (2007), “մոզ²”, in Hayocʻ lezvi barbaṙayin baṙaran [Dialectal Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Armenian), volume IV, Yerevan: Hayastan, page 71a

[1] Džaukjan, G. B. (1967) Очерки по истории дописьменного периода армянского языка [An Outline of the History of the Pre-Literary Period of the Armenian Language]‎^[1] (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 256

[2] J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1972) Hay barbaṙagitutʻyan neracutʻyun [Introduction into Armenian Dialectology]‎^[2] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 330

[3] Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 752

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