𐎠𐎿𐎱𐎨𐎴

Old Persian

Etymology

Nominative singular of Aspačanah (literally “delighting in horses”), from 𐎠𐎿𐎱 (aspa, “horse”) + *čanah (“desire”) (from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kan-).

Compare equivalent in Old Median *Aspačinā (literally “desiring for horses”).

Proper noun

𐎠𐎿𐎱𐎨𐎴 (Aspacanāʰ) (nom. sg)

1. a male given name most famously held by a senior official under Darius the Great and Xerxes. Aspacanah, Aspacana, Aspachanah, Aspachana, Aspathines, Aspačanā, Aspathines

Descendants

(Taking Old Persian as representative for all Old Iranian:)

• → Akkadian:

  Late Babylonian: 𒊍𒉺𒅆𒉌 (as-pa-ši-ni /⁠Aspašini⁠/), 𒀀𒊓𒉺𒅆𒅔 (a-sa-pa-ši-in /⁠Asapašin⁠/)

• → Aramaic:

  Imperial Aramaic: 𐡀𐡎𐡐𐡔𐡍 (ʾspšn)

• → Elamite:

  Achaemenid Elamite: 𒀾𒁀𒍝𒈾 (áš-ba-za-na /⁠Ašbazana⁠/), 𒀾𒁀𒍢𒈾 (áš-ba-zí-na /⁠Ašbazina⁠/)

• → Ancient Greek: Ἀσπαθίνης (Aspathínēs)
  • → Latin: Aspathinēs

References

• A. Sh. Shahbazi (December 15, 1987), "ASPAČANĀ", Encyclopædia Iranica
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1979) Die altiranischen Namen [The Old Iranian Names] (Iranisches Personennamenbuch, Band I, Faszikel II) (in German), Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, § 15, page 15
• Kent, Roland G. (1950) Old Persian: grammar, texts, lexicon, New Haven: American Oriental Society, page 173b