𐰋𐰏

Old Turkic

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *bēg (“lord”), itself of uncertain origins, see Turkish bey for more. Cognate with Bulgar باك (bêk, “ruler”), Old Uyghur 𐽼𐽷 (pk), 𐽼𐽰𐽷 (pʾk, “lord, chief”), Karakhanid باكْ (bēg, “chief, a woman's husband”), Azerbaijani bəy (“mister, gentleman; lord”), Turkish bey (“mister, gentleman; lord”).

Noun

𐰋𐰏 (beg)

1. head of a clan, chief, lord, beg
   • 9th century CE, Irk Bitig, Omen 5:

     𐰋𐰏:𐰼:𐰖𐰆𐰣𐱃𐰃𐰭𐰺𐰆:𐰉𐰺𐰢𐰃𐰾

     beg:er:yuntïŋaru:barmïš

     A lord went to (look at) his mares.

Derived terms

• 𐰋𐰏𐰠𐰃𐰛 (beglik)

Descendants

• → Middle Chinese: 匐 (*bək̚)

References

• Tekin, Talât (1968) “bäg”, in A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic (Uralic and Altaic Series; 69), Bloomington: Indiana University, →ISBN, page 311
• Tekin, Talât (1993) “b(ä)g”, in Irk Bitig: The Book of Omens, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 51
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “be:g”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 322