𐫃𐫇𐫘𐫀𐫗

Parthian

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.

Asatryan proposes derivation from earlier *gōβ(a)sān (whence possibly Old Armenian գովասան (govasan)), contracted from *gōβ(a)sāhan (“praise-sayer, panegyrist”), from Old Iranian *gauba-sāhana-, the first part of which is inherited from Proto-Iranian *gáwbati (“to say; to say positively”), whereas *-sāhana is a secondary formation based on *sanhana- (“declaration”), from Proto-Iranian *cánhati (“to declare”), perhaps influenced by *sāhana- (“showing, indication, teaching”), from Proto-Iranian *sāh- (“to teach, instruct”). For the inner-Parthian -ā̆ha- → *-ā- contraction Asatryan compares the parallel seen in the etymon of վան (van).

Noun

𐫃𐫇𐫘𐫀𐫗 • (gōsān) (Manichaean)

1. gusan
   • 4th or 5th century, A Manichaean fragment

     cwʾgwn gwsʾn ky hsyngʾn šhrdʾrʾn ʿwd kwʾn hwnr wyfrʾsyd ʿwd wxd ʿywyc ny kryd

     čawāgōn gōsān kē hasēnagān šahrdārān ud kawān hunar wifrāsēd ud xwad ēwiž nē karēd

     Like a gusan, who proclaims the worthiness of kings and heroes of old and himself achieves nothing at all.

Descendants

• Arabic: جَوْسَان (jawsān, “Gypsy”)
• Classical Mandaic: [script needed] (gwsʾnʾ /⁠gōsānā⁠/)
• Old Armenian: գուսան (gusan)
  • Armenian: գուսան (gusan)
• Old Georgian: მგოსანი (mgosani)
  • Georgian: მგოსანი (mgosani)
• Persian: گوسان (gôsân), کوسان (kôsân) (or inherited from the Middle Persian cognate)

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “Haykakankʻ (Armeniaca)”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, pages 629–630, not knowing about the attestation of the Parthian word, derives Persian گوسان (gôsân) by contraction from Old Armenian գովասան (govasan, “praiser”), as an example of such a contraction citing توانم (tavânam, “I can”) → colloquial تونم (tunam)
• Асатрян, Г. С. (2013) “Парфянское gōsān [Parthian gōsān]”, in С. Р. Тохтасьев, П. Б. Лурье, editors, Commentationes Iranicae. Сборник статей к 90-летию Владимира Ароновича Лившица‎^[1] (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Nestor-Istoriya, →ISBN, pages 102–105
• Bailey, H. W. (1934) “Iranica (II)”, in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society‎^[2], number 3, page 514b
• Durkin-Meisterernst, Desmond (2004) A Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian (Corpus Fontium Manichaeorum; 3.1), Turnhout: Brepols, page 168a
• Stackelberg, R. von (1894) “Lexicalisches aus ‘Wīs ō Rāmīn’”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎^[3] (in German), volume 48, pages 490–497