pcyn'

Middle Persian

Alternative forms

[Avestan needed] (pačīn) (Pazend)

Etymology

According to Cheung, composed of Proto-Iranian *pati- (“against”, preverb) (see Old Persian 𐎱𐎫𐎡𐏁 (p-t-i-š)) with the verbal root *čag- / *čak- (“to strike, hit”). The formation is similar to German Durch-schlag. Nyberg specifically reconstructs the development as *patšagn ← *pati-čagn- ← Old Iranian *patičag-niya-.

On the other hand, according to Müller, and following him Hübschmann, Ačaṙyan and Olsen, the word is going back to Old Iranian *patičayana- (literally “against-reading”), composed of the preverb *pati- (“against”) and the verbal root *čai- (“to gather, collect”). Typologically compare Ancient Greek ἀντίγραφον (antígraphon, “copy”, literally “against-reading”). For the sense development “to gather, collect” → “to read”, Müller compares Latin lego (“to gather; to read”), Ancient Greek λέγω (légō, “to gather; to say”).

Cognate with Sogdian 𐼾𐼰𐽂𐼿𐼲𐼻𐼷 (pʾtcɣny /⁠pātčaγnē⁠/, “answer, reply letter”), which is usually derived from Old Iranian *pati-čagnaka-, as well as the following Iranian borrowings: Old Armenian պատճէն (patčēn), պատճիկ (patčik), պաճիկ (pačik, “copy of an official letter”), Biblical Hebrew פַּתְשֶׁגֶן (paṯšéḡen, “copy”), Aramaic פַּרְשֶׁגֶן (paršéḡen, “copy”), Classical Syriac ܦܪܫܓܢܐ (paršaḡnāʾ, “copy”).

Noun

pcyn' • (pačēn)

(Book Pahlavi) copy

Derived terms

hmpcyn' (ham-pačēn, “wholly-copied”)

Descendants

Persian: پچین (pačin)
→ Georgian: პაჭენისი (ṗač̣enisi)
→ Old Armenian: պաճէն (pačēn)

References

Nyberg, H. S. (1974) “pacēn”, in A Manual of Pahlavi, Part II: Glossary, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, page 147a
MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) “pa(č)čen”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, page 62
Cheung, Johnny (2007) “*čak/g”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 31–32
Müller, Friedrich (1892) “Pahlawi und armenische Etymologien”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (in German), volume 6, pages 264–265
Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 224
Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “պատճէն”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, page 45b
Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 902
Gharib, B. (1995) “pʾtcγny(y)”, in Sogdian dictionary: Sogdian–Persian–English, Tehran: Farhangan Publications, page 261b
“pršgn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
Livshits, Vladimir (2006) “Armeno-Partho-Sogdica”, in Iran and the Caucasus‎^[1], volume 10, number 1, page 84