𐰸𐰆𐰞𐰴𐰴

Old Turkic

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *kulkak (“ear”). Cognate with Chuvash хӑлха (hălh̬a), Khalaj qulaq, Karakhanid قُلْقاقْ (qulqaq), قُلْخاقْ (qulχaq, “ear”), Old Uyghur [script needed] (qulqaq, “ear”), Turkish kulak (“ear”), Uzbek quloq, Bashkir ҡолаҡ (qolaq), Yakut кулгаах (kulgaaq, “ear”). Compare also Mongolian хулхи (xulxi).

Noun

𐰸𐰆𐰞𐰴𐰴 (qulqaq)

1. (anatomy) ear
   • 8th century CE, Bilge Khagan Inscription, N11

     𐰚𐰇𐰕𐰤:𐰚𐰇𐰼𐰢𐰓𐰜:𐰸𐰆𐰞𐰴𐰴𐰣:𐰾𐰓𐰢𐰓𐰜:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣𐰢𐰣

     közün:körmedük:qulqaqïn:ešidmedük:bodunumun

     ...my people who have not been seen by eye and have not been heard by ear...

References

• Tekin, Talât (1968) “qulqaq”, in A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic (Uralic and Altaic Series; 69), Bloomington: Indiana University, →ISBN, page 347
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “kulkak”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 621
• Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*Kul-kak”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8)‎^[1], Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill