𐰉𐰞𐰉𐰞

Old Turkic

Etymology

Borrowed from a Mongolic language, compare Mongolian баримал (barimal, “sculpture”). Compare also Hungarian bálvány (“idol”).

Noun

𐰉𐰞𐰉𐰞 (balbal)

1. monument, statue, sculpture
   • 8th century CE, Kültegin Inscription, E16

     𐰴𐰭𐰢:𐰴𐰍𐰣𐰴𐰀:𐰉𐱁𐰞𐰖𐰆:𐰉𐰔:𐰴𐰍𐰣𐰍:𐰉𐰞𐰉𐰞:𐱅𐰃𐰚𐰢𐰾

     qaŋïm:qaɣanqa:bašlayu:baz:qaɣanïɣ:balbal:tikmiš

     (My uncle, the khagan) first erected Baz Khagan as a monument for my father, the khagan.

Descendants

• → English: balbal (learned)

References

• Tekin, Talât (1968) “balbal”, in A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic (Uralic and Altaic Series; 69), Bloomington: Indiana University, →ISBN, page 307
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “balbal”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Ölmez, Mehmet (1995). “Eski Türk Yazıtlarında Yabancı Öğeler”. Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları. 7: 175-186.[1]
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “balbal”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 333
• Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*bAlbal”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8)‎^[2], Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill