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Definition 2024


მგელი

მგელი

Georgian

მგელი

Noun

მგელი (mgeli) (plural მგლები)

  1. wolf

Inflection


Old Georgian

Etymology

From Proto-Georgian-Zan *mgel- (wolf). Cognate with Mingrelian გერი (geri) and Laz მგერი (mgeri), გვერი (gveri), მჯვერი (mǯveri).

Ačaṙean and Gamkrelidze-Ivanov derive from Armenian (compare Armenian գայլ (gayl, wolf) and dialectal գել (gel)). This is tentatively accepted by Starostin, however Khintibidze disputes this. He agrees with the ultimate borrowed nature of the lexeme, but consideres it "not obligatory" to derive from Armenian in order to explain its Indo-European nature. He further compares how Mingrelian გერი (geri) underwent a certain variation of the existing root and the Svan counterpart was borrowed from a third source altogether (თხე̄რე (txēre) < Hellenic thē̂r ("wild animal")). Due to Georgian traditional link to the wolf cult, where მამბერი (mamberi) was the mythological ruler of the wolves, Khintibidze argues origin from the root of the second word, ბერი (beri) (*მამა-ბერი (*mama-beri)).

Noun

მგელი (mgeli)

  1. wolf

Descendants

References

  • Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1971), գայլ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume I, 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, published 1926–1935, page 512b
  • Starostin, S. A. (2005), *mgel-”, in Kartvelian etymological database compiled on the basis of G. Klimov's and Fähnrich-Sarjveladze's etymological dictionaries of Kartvelian languages
  • abulaʒe, ilia (1973), მგელი”, in ʒveli kartuli enis leksiḳoni (masalebi) [Dictionary of Old Georgian (Materials)] (in Georgian), Tbilisi: Metsniereba, page 225
  • Khintibidze, p. 97-98