ملخ

See also: ملح

Persian

Etymology

From Middle Persian *malax (written as Pazend 𐬨𐬀𐬮𐬀𐬐 (malak)), borrowed from Bactrian μαλαχο (malakho), from Proto-Iranian *madaxa, itself probably related to Sanskrit मटची (maṭacī, “locust”). Compare Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬜𐬀𐬑𐬀 (maδaxa, “grasshopper”), Baluchi مدگ (madag), مذغ (maδaγ), Pashto ملخ (malax, “locust”), Old Armenian loanword մարախ (marax), Ossetian мӕтых (mætyx), Khwarezmian مثخ (mθx). The inherited Southwestern Iranian form is میگ (meyg) (> میگو (meygu, “shrimp, prawn”)); the wide phonetic variation in the word's relatives is induced by the taboo of the inauspicious locust.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ma.ˈlax]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mä.lǽx]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mä.lǽx]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [mä.lǽx]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [mä.lǽx]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mæ.lǽx]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [mä.lǽχ]

Readings
Classical reading?	malax
Dari reading?	malax
Iranian reading?	malax
Tajik reading?	malax

Noun

Dari	ملخ
Iranian Persian
Tajik	малах

ملخ • (malax) (plural ملخ‌ها (malax-hâ))

1. (zoology) grasshopper
2. locust
3. propeller

Derived terms

• ملخک (malaxak)

Descendants

• → Ottoman Turkish: ملخ

References

• Jafari Dehaghi, Mahmud, Emadaldin Sadri, Amir (2012) “Vâmvâže-hey balxī dar pârsi now [Bactrian Loanwords in New-Persian]”, in Language Studies‎^[1] (in Persian), volume 2, number 4, Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, page 3
• Horn, Paul (1893) “meig”, in Grundriss der neupersischen Etymologie (in German), Strasbourg: K.J. Trübner, § 1010, page 227
• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1977) “մարախ”, 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 274ab
• Abajev, V. I. (1973) “mætyx”, in Историко-этимологический словарь осетинского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Ossetian Language] (in Russian), volume II, Moscow and Leningrad: Academy Press, page 180
• Edelʹman, D. I. (2015) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 5, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 105-7