удган

Mongolian

FWOTD – 30 August 2017

Alternative forms

нядган (njadgan)

Etymology

From Proto-Mongolic *ïdugan (compare Dongxiang idogvo (“faith healer”)), and cognate with Khitan 伊吐干 (yitugan). The initial n- of the alternative form is not found in Middle Mongolian or other Mongolic languages.

Potential comparisons are:

Proto-Turkic *ɨduk (“sacred”), possibly derived from *ɨ̄d- (“to send”); compare Old Turkic 𐰃𐰑𐰸‎ (ïðuq), Yakut ытык (ıtık);
Japanese 巫子 (itako, “priestess”), perhaps a compound of 板 (ita, “board”) +‎ 子 (ko, “girl”).

Pronunciation

(Ulaanbaatar) IPA^(key): /ʊtɢəŋ/, [̙ˈo̙tʁɵ̙ɴ]

Noun

удган • (udgan) (Mongolian spelling ᠢᠳᠤᠭᠠᠨ (iduɣan) or ᠨᠢᠳᠤᠭᠠᠨ (niduɣan)); (regular declension )

shamaness
Hypernym: бөө (böö, “shaman”)