Reconstruction:Proto-Iranian/warj-

This Proto-Iranian entry contains reconstructed words 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-

to do
to work
to till the land

Descendants

Eastern Iranian:
- Avestan: 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰‎ (vərəz-, “to do, work”)
- Bactrian: οαρζιαο (oarziao), οαρζοιαο (oarzoiao, “farming”)
- Khwarezmian: [script needed] (mwžy-, “to employ, use; to exert oneself”)
- Khotanese: [script needed] (valys-, “to work, cause”) as a second component of [script needed] (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)
- 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”)
    - 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: vard- (“to work”) in 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎺𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹 (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, pages 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