Definify.com

Definition 2024

ywc

Middle Persian

Noun

ywc • ‎(yōz)

cheetah

Descendants

Persian: یوز ‎(yūz)
- Central Kurdish: yüz ‎(“small hunting dog”) (dialect of the Mokri tribe)
- Pashto: يوز m ‎(yuz, “cheetah”)

References

MacKenzie, D. N. (1971), “yōz”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, page 97
Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 199
Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1977), “յովազ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume III, 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, published 1926–1935, pages 407a
Horn, Paul (1893), “yōz”, in Grundriss der neupersischen Etymologie (in German), Strasbourg: K.J. Trübner, § 1129, pages 252–253
Rastorgujeva, V. S.; Edelʹman, D. I. (2011) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume IV, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, page 113

Etymology

Paul Horn connects with the Iranian source of Old Armenian յոյզ ‎(yoyz, “seeking, searching; trouble, agitation”), յուզեմ ‎(yuzem, “to seek, to search; to trouble, to agitate”), interpreting the original meaning of the animal's name as “the seeker”. It should be noted that formerly the cheetah was tamed by aristocrats and used to hunt antelopes in much the same way as is still done with members of the greyhound group of dogs; compare the names hunting leopard, hunting cat, Jagdleopard.

Cognate with Chorasmian ywz ‎(“cheetah”), Northern Kurdish osek ‎(“panther”).

Akin to Old Armenian յովազ ‎(yovaz), յաւազ ‎(yawaz), Georgian ავაზა ‎(avaza), Classical Syriac ܝܘܙܐ ‎(yōzāʾ, yawzāʾ), all Iranian borrowings.