𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏

Old Turkic

Etymology

From 𐰋𐰃𐰠 (bil-, “to know”) +‎ 𐰏 (-ig) itself inherited from Proto-Turkic *bil- (“to know”). Cognate with Azerbaijani bilik.

Noun

𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏 (bilig)

1. knowledge, information, will
   • 8th century CE, Kültegin Inscription, S7

     𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏:𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰢𐰔:𐰚𐰃𐰾𐰃:𐰆𐰞:𐰽𐰉𐰍:𐰞𐰯:𐰖𐰍𐰺𐰆:𐰉𐰺𐰯:𐰇𐰚𐱁:𐰚𐰃𐱁𐰃:𐰇𐰠𐱅𐰏

     bilig:bilmez:kiši:ol:sabïɣ:alïp:yaɣuru:barï:üküš:kiši:öltüg

     Having heard these words, you unwise people went close to them and were killed in great numbers.

2. mind
   • 8th century CE, Kültegin Inscription, N10

     𐰚𐰇𐰼𐰇𐰼:𐰚𐰇𐰔𐰢:𐰚𐰇𐰼𐰢𐰔:𐱅𐰏:𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰼:𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏𐰢:𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰢𐰔:𐱅𐰏:𐰉𐰆𐰡𐰃

     körür:közüm:körmez:teg:bilir:biligim:bilmez:teg:boltï

     My eyes which have always seen became as if they were blind, my mind which has always been conscious became as if it were unconscious.

References

• Tekin, Talât (1968) “bilig”, in A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic (Uralic and Altaic Series; 69), Bloomington: Indiana University, →ISBN, page 393
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “bilig”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 339