ատեան

ատեան

Old Armenian

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.

Traditionally considered an inheritance from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”) and cognate with Latin solium (“throne, seat”), Old Irish suide (“seat”), but the vocalism is irregular. A sense development “session, sitting, meeting of an assembly; assembly” → “place and time of such an assembly” → “time in general” is assumed; compare Persian گاه‎ (gâh, “time; place”).[1][2][3][4][5][6]

But more likely a Semitic borrowing, Akkadian 𒄩𒁲𒀀𒉏 (adiānum, “fixed date”), which has also reached Arabic عِدّان‎ (ʿiddān, “a time something is set; a place of remaining”), a relation already made by D. H. Müller.[7] The borrowing would have to be very old due to the *d → տ (t) sound shift, as in պարտէզ (partēz).

Bad Iranian etymologies have also been proposed.[8][9][10][11][12]

Noun

ատեան • (atean)

1. assembly, council; assembly of judges, tribunal; session of an assembly

   յատեան մատնել ― yatean matnel ― to call before a tribunal or council

   գումարել զատեան ― gumarel zatean ― to convoke, to call together an assembly

2. assembly hall, court hall
3. tribunal, seat
4. trial before a court
5. the space in front of the sanctuary in temples
6. time

   ատեան հողմոյ ― atean hołmoy ― time when the wind blows

   յատենի ― yateni ― right on time

Declension

i-type

	singular		plural
nominative	ատեան (atean)		ատեանք (ateankʿ)
genitive	ատենի (ateni)		ատենից (atenicʿ)
dative	ատենի (ateni)		ատենից (atenicʿ)
accusative	ատեան (atean)		ատեանս (ateans)
ablative	ատենէ (atenē)		ատենից (atenicʿ)
instrumental	ատենիւ (ateniw)		ատենիւք (ateniwkʿ)
locative	ատենի (ateni)		ատեանս (ateans)
a singular instrumental ատենաւ (atenaw) is once attested

Derived terms

• ատենաբանեմ (atenabanem)
• ատենաբար (atenabar)
• ատենագրութիւն (atenagrutʿiwn)
• ատենադպիր (atenadpir)
• ատենախօս (atenaxōs)
• ատենախօսութիւն (atenaxōsutʿiwn)
• ատենակալ (atenakal)
• ատենական (atenakan)
• ատենակից (atenakicʿ)
• ատենահաս (atenahas)
• ատենահրաշ (atenahraš)
• ատենապետ (atenapet)
• ատենատեղի (atenatełi)
• ատենատուն (atenatun)
• ատենաքարշ (atenakʿarš)
• ատենընտիր (atenəntir)
• հանդիսատեան (handisatean)

 

Descendants

• Armenian: ատյան (atyan), ատեն (aten)
• → Old Georgian: ატიანი (aṭiani)

References

1. Meillet, Antoine (1894), “Notes arméniennes”, in Mémoires de la Société de Linguistique de Paris (in French), volume 8, page 154 of 153–165
2. Hübschmann, Heinrich (1899), “Hübschmann H.: Armenische Grammatik. I. Theil. Armenische Etymologie. II. Abteilung. Die syrischen und griechischen Lehnwörter im Altarmenischen und die echtarmenischen Wörter”, in Indogermanische Forschungen. Anzeiger für indogermanische Sprach- und Altertumskunde. Beiblatt zu den Indogermanischen Forschungen (in German), volume 10, page 47 of 41–50
3. Pedersen, Holger (1900), “Wie viel laute gab es im Indogermanischen?”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiete der Indogermanischen Sprachen‎ (in German), volume 36, issue 1, page 98
4. Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1971), “ատեան”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), volume I, 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, pages 286–287
5. Ačaṙyan, Hračʿya (1940) Hayocʿ lezvi patmutʿyun [History of the Armenian Language] (in Armenian), volume I, Yerevan: University Press, pages 38–39
6. Morani, Moreno (1994), “Sui casi di ie. *o > arm. a”, in P. Cipriano, P. Di Giovine, M. Mancini, editors, Miscellanea di studi linguistici in onore di Walter Belardi. I: Linguistica indoeuropea e non indoeuropea (in Italian), Roma: Il calamo, page 395
7. Bittner, Maximilian (1901), “Kleine Mittheilungen”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (in German), volume 15, page 411 of 409–411
8. Müller, Friedrich (1893), “Kleine Mittheilungen [Pahlawi-, neupersische und armenische Etymologien]”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes‎ (in German), volume 7, page 376
9. Müller, Friedrich (1896), “Neupersische Etymologien”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (in German), volume 10, page 273
10. Perixanjan, A. G. (1973) Сасанидский судебник (Mātakdān ī hazār dātastān)‎ (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 442
11. Gippert, Jost (1993) Iranica Armeno-Iberica: Studien zu den iranischen Lehnwörtern im Armenischen und Georgischen (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Philosophisch-historische Klasse. Sitzungsberichte; 606. Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Iranistik; 26)‎ (in German), volume I, Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, pages 24–25
12. Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page xl

Further reading

• Awetikʿean, G.; Siwrmēlean, X.; Awgerean, M. (1836–1837), “ատեան”, in Nor baṙgirkʿ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010), “ատեան”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 82a
• Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 959
• Petrosean, H. Matatʿeay V. (1879), “ատեան”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy