Cognate Set 8990 – Meaning: hunt

IE-CoR reference form:
naxčīr
IE-CoR reference language:
Middle Persian
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Justification:
Light verb constructions with nominal 'wild animals, quarry, hunting' as the semantic-bearing head. The etymology of Middle Persian naxčīr was originally interpreted by Bailey 1946:774n1 as though from Iranic *naxti-čiθra- 'originating in the night' (cf. Cabolov 2001–2010 II:36-37). Bailey 1958:44 later revised his view in light of new Middle discoveries and alternatively considered as though from Middle Persian *naxa-čarya- 'moving about in the expanse, open spaces, the wilds'. If so, we could consider to either *h₂nek̑- 'to reach, arrive' → Iranic *naxa- 'expanse, wilderness', or to PIE *kʷelh₁- 'to move, turn' > Proto-Iranic *carH- (Cheung 2007:33-34) depending on which morpheme is best considered the original semantic head of the nominal compound.
Found in clades:
Iranic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 1 clade by 2 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
66   Middle Persian naxčīr kunēd nhcyl kwnyt naxˈtʃiːɾ kuneːð naxt͜ʃiːr kuneːd ZMP attested in the Šāyest-nē-šāyest ch.8.3 as an infinitive naxčīr kardan
56   Kurdish N.: Bahdini nēčir dɨket neːt͡ʃir dɨkæt
References
  • Bailey, Harold W.: 774n1
    "I explain this word by an Old Iranian *naχti-čiθra- 'originating in the night' with allusion to the epithet Zor.Pahl. tam-tōχmak (a translation of Av. təmasčiθra-) applied to the wild beasts in Zoroastrian terminology.
  • Bailey, Harold W.: 44
    "Important for Indo-Iranian interpretation is also Lit. nókti, Let. nãkt. The basic meaning was 'reach, arrive '. Thus we find Lit. nókti 'to ripen' (like NPers. rasīdan 'arrive, ripen') and pranókti, panókti 'overhaul, overtake' beside Let. nãkt 'come', ie-nãkt 'enter', ie-nãkties 'to ripen', panãkt 'over-take'. These assure a base *nãk-. From a similar *nak- we can trace some Iranian words with the sense of 'extension' (from which 'extend up to, reach' is derived). Ossetic näx- in näxstar can be well taken to mean 'extension, open space'. It occurs in rānäxstär un 'to betake oneself' and in fännäxstär with känun and känyn. The word stär, with adjectival stäron, stäjron, refers to a man on expedition or wandering in difficult ways. In Miller's dictionary we have the Nārty stärtä, and in a translation of the Russian Igor poem we have the stärtä for the 'heroes' on a foray. In the first component näx- of näxstäron we have reference to the place of the wandering or foray. <br>The same *naxa- is to be seen in the first component of Mid. Pers. nxšyr, Mid. Parth. nxšyr- 'wild animals, quarry, hunting' in the Šāhpuhr I inscription as part of the title of the naxčīrpat 'huntsman' (Persian line 30, Parthian 24). This I would now explain as containing *naxa-čarya- 'moving about in the expanse, open spaces, the wilds'. It is equivalent to the Avestan ravasčarāt- rendered by Zor. Pahl. frāxv raftār 'ranging widely'."
  • Cabolov, R. L.: II:36-37
    S.v. Kurd. nēčīr 'дичь, охота', cf. NPers. naxčīr, Z.MPers. naxčīr, M.MPers. nhčyhr, Sogd. nɣšʾyr, nɣšyr, Khot. načira, Yaghn. naxšir, naxčir, etc.; according to Bailey 1946:774, from Iranic *naxti-čiθra- 'originating in the night'.