պեղեմ

Old Armenian

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bel- (“to dig, cut off?”) and cognate with Sanskrit बिल (bila, “hole, pit”) and Irish bealach (“way, pass”).^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Others connect this verb to Urartian 𒉿𒇷 (pi-li /⁠pili⁠/, “canal”);^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] cognate with Hurrian 𒉿𒇷 (pe-li /⁠peli⁠/, “canal”), 𒉺𒆷 (pa-la /⁠pala⁠/, “canal”); rejected by Diakonoff on phonological grounds,^[8] but Nielsen adduced the ł-conditioned -իղ- (-ił-) → -եղ- (-eł-) transformation argued for in Martirosyan's etymology^[10] of շեղջ (šełǰ), աբեղայ (abełay), and ասեղն (asełn) in favour of a denominal origin of the verb from **պեղ (**peł) ← **պիղ (**pił, “canal”), ultimately from Urartian.^[11] Others connect Dagestani terms like Bezhta пили (pili), Tsez пелу (pelu, “pipe, blood vessel”), Lak ппиӏллу (“pipe”);^[12] rejected by Nielsen on vocalic grounds but with no detail given while citing an example with the Avar-Andic -u-,^[11] yet these and Dargwa -a- contrast with the -i- vocalism of the terms found in Tsezic and Lak.

Verb

պեղեմ • (pełem) (aorist indicative պեղեցի)

to dig, to hollow, to excavate, to delve; to sap, to mine, to sink
պեղել գուբս, հորս ― pełel gubs, hors ― to open a trench, to sink a well

զարտասուաց աղբիւրս պեղել ― zartasuacʻ ałbiwrs pełel ― to shed tears
to engrave

Conjugation

active
		singular			plural
infinitive		պեղել (pełel)		participle	պեղեցեալ, պեղեալ (pełecʻeal, pełeal)
causative		—		aorist stem	պեղեց- (pełecʻ-)

		1^st person	2^nd person	3^rd person	1^st person	2^nd person	3^rd person
indicative
	present	պեղեմ (pełem)	պեղես (pełes)	պեղէ (pełē)	պեղեմք (pełemkʻ)	պեղէք (pełēkʻ)	պեղեն (pełen)
	imperfect	պեղէի, պեղեի* (pełēi, pełei*)	պեղէիր, պեղեիր* (pełēir, pełeir*)	պեղէր (pełēr)	պեղէաք, պեղեաք* (pełēakʻ, pełeakʻ*)	պեղէիք, պեղեիք* (pełēikʻ, pełeikʻ*)	պեղէին, պեղեին* (pełēin, pełein*)
	aorist	պեղեցի (pełecʻi)	պեղեցեր (pełecʻer)	պեղեաց (pełeacʻ)	պեղեցաք (pełecʻakʻ)	պեղեցէք, պեղեցիք (pełecʻēkʻ, pełecʻikʻ)	պեղեցին (pełecʻin)
subjunctive
	present	պեղիցեմ (pełicʻem)	պեղիցես (pełicʻes)	պեղիցէ (pełicʻē)	պեղիցեմք (pełicʻemkʻ)	պեղիցէք (pełicʻēkʻ)	պեղիցեն (pełicʻen)
	aorist	պեղեցից (pełecʻicʻ)	պեղեսցես (pełescʻes)	պեղեսցէ (pełescʻē)	պեղեսցուք (pełescʻukʻ)	պեղեսջիք (pełesǰikʻ)	պեղեսցեն (pełescʻen)
imperatives
	imperative	—	պեղեա՛ (pełeá)	—	—	պեղեցէ՛ք (pełecʻḗkʻ)	—
	cohortative	—	պեղեսջի՛ր (pełesǰír)	—	—	պեղեսջի՛ք (pełesǰíkʻ)	—
	prohibitive	—	մի՛ պեղեր (mí pełer)	—	—	մի՛ պեղէք (mí pełēkʻ)	—

rare

mediopassive
		singular			plural
infinitive		պեղել, պեղիլ* (pełel, pełil*)		participle	պեղեցեալ, պեղեալ (pełecʻeal, pełeal)
causative		—		aorist stem	պեղեց- (pełecʻ-)

		1^st person	2^nd person	3^rd person	1^st person	2^nd person	3^rd person
indicative
	present	պեղիմ (pełim)	պեղիս (pełis)	պեղի (pełi)	պեղիմք (pełimkʻ)	պեղիք (pełikʻ)	պեղին (pełin)
	imperfect	պեղէի (pełēi)	պեղէիր (pełēir)	պեղէր, պեղիւր (pełēr, pełiwr)	պեղէաք (pełēakʻ)	պեղէիք (pełēikʻ)	պեղէին (pełēin)
	aorist	պեղեցայ (pełecʻay)	պեղեցար (pełecʻar)	պեղեցաւ (pełecʻaw)	պեղեցաք (pełecʻakʻ)	պեղեցայք (pełecʻaykʻ)	պեղեցան (pełecʻan)
subjunctive
	present	պեղիցիմ (pełicʻim)	պեղիցիս (pełicʻis)	պեղիցի (pełicʻi)	պեղիցիմք (pełicʻimkʻ)	պեղիցիք (pełicʻikʻ)	պեղիցին (pełicʻin)
	aorist	պեղեցայց (pełecʻaycʻ)	պեղեսցիս (pełescʻis)	պեղեսցի (pełescʻi)	պեղեսցուք (pełescʻukʻ)	պեղեսջիք (pełesǰikʻ)	պեղեսցին (pełescʻin)
imperatives
	imperative	—	պեղեա՛ց (pełeácʻ)	—	—	պեղեցարո՛ւք (pełecʻarúkʻ)	—
	cohortative	—	պեղեսջի՛ր (pełesǰír)	—	—	պեղեսջի՛ք (pełesǰíkʻ)	—
	prohibitive	—	մի՛ պեղիր (mí pełir)	—	—	մի՛ պեղիք (mí pełikʻ)	—

post-classical

Derived terms

պեղումն (pełumn)

Descendants

→ Armenian: պեղել (peġel) (learned)

References

^ Petersson, Herbert (1916) “Beiträge zur armenischen Wortkunde”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung (in German), volume 47, number 3/4, pages 264–265
^ Petersson, Herbert (1920) Arische und armenische Studien (Lunds Universitets Årsskrift N.F. Avd. 1, Bd. 16. Nr. 3) (in German), Lund, Leipzig, page 29
^ Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “պեղել”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, page 72ab
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 96
^ Karst, Josef (1911) “Zur ethnischen Stellung der Armenier”, in Nersēs Akinean, editor, Huschardzan: Festschrift aus Anlass des 100-jahrigen Bestandes der Mechitaristen-Kongregation in Wien (1811–1911), und des 25. Jahrganges der philosophischen Monatsschrift Handes amsorya (1887–1911) (in German), Vienna: Mekhitarist Press, page 422,
^ Bănățeanu, Vlad (1962) “Problema lexicului urartic din limba armeană [The problem of Urartian lexicon in the Armenian language]”, in Studii și cercetări lingvistice (in Romanian), volume 13, number 1, page 264 of 257–279
^ Džaukjan, G. B. (1963) Урартский и индоевропейские языки [The Urartian and the Indo-European languages]‎^[1] (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 101
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 Greppin, John A. C. (1991) “Some effects of the Hurro-Urartian people and their languages upon the earliest Armenians”, in Journal of the American Oriental Society‎^[2], volume 111, number 4, with additional notes by I. M. Diakonoff, pages 726b, 728b
^ Fournet, Arnaud (2013) “About the Vocalic System of Armenian Words of Substratic Origin”, in Archív Orientalni‎^[3], volume 81, number 2, page 10 of 207–222
^ Martirosyan, Hrach (2017) “Notes on Anatolian loanwords in Armenian”, in Pavel S. Avetisyan and Yervand H. Grekyan, editors, Bridging Times and Spaces: Papers in Ancient Near Eastern, Mediterranean and Armenian Studies Honouring Gregory E. Areshian on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday‎^[4], Oxford: Archaeopress, page 296 of 293–306
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 Thorsø, Rasmus (2023) Prehistoric loanwords in Armenian: Hurro-Urartian, Kartvelian, and the unclassified substrate‎^[5], PhD dissertation, Leiden University, pages 13-14
^ Greppin, John A. C. (1991) “Some effects of the Hurro-Urartian people and their languages upon the earliest Armenians”, in Journal of the American Oriental Society‎^[6], volume 111, number 4, with additional notes by I. M. Diakonoff, page 726