گرزن

Persian

Alternative forms

• کرزن (karzan), گرزین (gerzin)

Etymology

Superficially a Northwestern Iranian formation in homage to the headwear’s jags from a stem “stinging, cutting” discussed for Persian گزنه (gazane, “nettle”), Gilaki گرزنه (garzane, “nettle”) and Classical Persian گرزه (garza, “rat”), because Jewish Literary Aramaic גרזנא (*garzənā), Hebrew גַּרְזֶן (garzén), and Arabic كَرْزَن (karzan), كَرْزَم (karzam), كِرْزِين (kirzīn), كِرْزِيم (kirzīm) are only witnessed as a one-faced axe, and Persian گهزن (gahzan) and گزن (gazan) is a shoe-knife, although the Hebrew word appears twice in Deuteronomy twice already and one would like to connect to Hebrew גָּרַז (gāraz, “to sever, to cut”) equalling Arabic جَزَرَ (jazara): undoubtedly foreign is also the old Hebrew קַרְדֹּם (qardōm, “one-edged axe; in the plural two-edges axe, or a combined wood-chopping tool with one side that of an axe and the other that of an adze”) equated with the West Semitic loanwords Eblaite 𒄥𒁺𒈬𒌝 (GUR.DU.MU.UM /⁠gurdumum⁠/, “axe”) and Emar Akkadian 𒄥𒁲𒈬 (GUR.DI.MU /⁠gurdimu⁠/, “axe”), which Noonan finds too similar not to be a separate borrowing, as also גַּרְזֶן (garzén), from the word behind Akkadian 𒍏𒄩𒍣𒅔 (ḫaṣṣinnum, “hoe”), and again a separate borrowing of the same tool-name appears in Hebrew גַּרְדּוֹם (gardōm, “executioner’s spot, scaffold”), Jewish Babylonian Aramaic גַּרְדּוּמָא (gardōmā, “stump”), Jewish Palestinian Aramaic גרדום (*gardōm, “court tribunal”) and in an Old Babylonian list of rations as a profession 𒂵𒅈𒁺𒈬 (GA.AR.DU.MU /⁠gardumu⁠/, “unknown meaning, apparently an executioner”). In principle, ultimate Northwest Semitic origin, an Amorite pattern, is also possible and we have the same problem as with the family of Arabic جُرَذ (juraḏ, “rat”) where both Iranian and Semitic offer a fitting root.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ɡaɾ.zan]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡäɾ.zän]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡäɾ.zän]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ɡäɾ.zän]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ɡäɾ.zän]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡʲæɹ.zæn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡäɾ.zän]

Readings
Classical reading?	garzan
Dari reading?	garzan
Iranian reading?	garzan
Tajik reading?	garzan

Noun

گرزن • (garzan)

1. wreath, crown
2. (anatomy) stephanion

References

• “grzn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “grdwm”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “grdwm²”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 108, interprets گرزین (garzīn, “arrow”) as “throwing weapon” from *gráHti from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- and the bare noun which is modernly زین (zin, “saddle”)
• Cohen, Yoram (2010) “The ‘Second Glosses’ in the Lexical Lists from Emar: West Semitic or Akkadian?”, in Proceedings of the 53^e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale Vol. 1: Language in the Ancient Near East, Part 1 (Babel und Bibel; 4/1), Winnona Lake: Eisenbrauns, →ISBN, page 818 of 813–839
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 85
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1894) “Beiträge zum aramäischen Wörterbuch”, in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete‎^[1] (in German), volume 9, page 2 considers Classical Syriac ܒܪܙܢܩܐ (barzanqā, “greave”), Classical Mandaic ࡁࡅࡓࡆࡉࡍࡒࡀ (/⁠burzinqā⁠/), Jewish Babylonian Aramaic בורזינקא (burzinqā, “turban”) a variant reflex with the Iranian *-akah suffix, which is rejected by Rundgren, Frithiof (1957) “Über einige iranische Lehnwörter im Lateinischen und Griechischen”, in Orientalia Suecana‎^[2], volume 6, page 59, connecting Latin zanca etc. for the former and for the latter Akkadian [script needed] (barsigu, paršigu, “headband”) explained as from Sumerian [script needed] (bar, “to weave”) and Sumerian [script needed] (sig, “wool”)
• Monchi-Zadeh, Davoud (1990) Wörter aus Xurāsān und ihre Herkunft (Acta Iranica; 29)‎^[3] (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 167 Nr. 494
• Noonan, Benjamin J. (2019) Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A Lexicon of Language Contact (Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic; 14), University Park, Pennsylvania: Eisenbrauns, →ISBN, page 197
• Vullers, Johann August (1856–1864) “گرزن”, in Lexicon Persico-Latinum etymologicum cum linguis maxime cognatis Sanscrita et Zendica et Pehlevica comparatum, e lexicis persice scriptis Borhâni Qâtiu, Haft Qulzum et Bahâri agam et persico-turcico Farhangi-Shuûrî confectum, adhibitis etiam Castelli, Meninski, Richardson et aliorum operibus et auctoritate scriptorum Persicorum adauctum‎^[4] (in Latin), volume II, Gießen: J. Ricker, page 816b