Reconstruction:Proto-Iranian/warj-

This Proto-Iranian entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Iranian

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *warȷ́-, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-.

Verb

*warj-

1. to do
2. to work
3. to till the land

Descendants

• Eastern Iranian:
  • Avestan: 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰- (vər^əz-, “to do, work”)
  • Bactrian: οαρζιαο (oarziao), οαρζοιαο (oarzoiao, “farming”)
  • Khwarezmian: [script needed] (mwžy-, “to employ, use; to exert oneself”)
  • Khotanese: 𐨬𐨫𐨁𐨯𐨿 (valys-, “to work, cause”) as a second component of 𐨗𐨿𐨯𐨙𐨆𐨌𐨫𐨿𐨩𐨿𐨯 (jsañaulysa-, “causing death”)
  • Sogdian: 𐫇𐫡𐫉 (wrz /⁠warz⁠/, “miracle, magic”) (possibly borrowed from Middle Persian)
  • Yagnobi: [script needed] (warzón-/warzónta, “to cultivate the land”)
• Western Iranian:
  • Northwestern Iranian:
    • Kurdish:

      Northern Kurdish: bilîn (“to exert (oneself); to carry out”)

    • Parthian:

      Manichaean: 𐫇𐫡𐫝 (wrc /⁠warž⁠/, “miraculous power; miracle”)

      • → Old Armenian: վարժ (varž)
    • Talysh: варзыние (“to knead, loosen”)
    • → Old Armenian: վարձ (varj)
    • → Aghwan: 𐕛𐔰𐕙𐔵 (varz)
  • Southwestern Iranian:
    • → Middle Persian:

      Manichaean: 𐫇𐫡𐫝 (wrc /⁠warz⁠/), 𐫇𐫡𐫉 (wrz /⁠warz⁠/, “miraculous power; miracle”)

      Book Pahlavi: [script needed] (wlcytn' /⁠warzīdan⁠/, “to work, act, practise; to till; to beget”), [script needed] (wlc /⁠warz⁠/, “work, agriculture; miraculous power; miracle”)

      • → Aghwan: 𐔱𐕒𐕙𐔵 (borz, “work”)
      • Persian: ورزیدن (varzidan), ورز (varz), ورزه (varza), برز (barz)
        • Tajik: варзидан (varzidan), варз (varz), варза (varza)
        • → Classical Mandaic: [script needed] (warza, “crops, sown field, tilled ground, land, cultivation”)
        • → Classical Syriac: ܒܪܙܐ (barzāʾ, “sown field”)
        • → Kurdish:

          Northern Kurdish: werz (“tilled and sowed field; season”) (could equally be inherited)

    • Old Persian: [Term?] (/⁠vard-⁠/, “to work”) in 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎺𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹 (a-r-t-v-r-di-i-y /⁠Artavardiya-⁠/, “male given name”)
    • → Old Armenian: վարդ- (vard-) in վարդապետ (vardapet)

Other formations:

• Middle Iranian: *varzāk
  • → Byzantine Greek: βάρζα (bárza, “female harper”)
  • → Old Armenian: վարձակ (varjak, “female singer or dancer”)

References

• Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 425ff
• Durkin-Meisterernst, Desmond (2004) A Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian (Corpus Fontium Manichaeorum; 3.1), Turnhout: Brepols, page 344b
• Bailey, H. W. (1979) Dictionary of Khotan Saka, Cambridge, London, New York, Melbourne: Cambridge University press, page 379a
• Cabolov, R. L. (2010) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ kurdskovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Kurdish Language] (in Russian), volume II, Moscow: Russian Academy Press Vostochnaya Literatura, page 433