հարսանիթէ

հարսանիթէ

Middle Armenian

Etymology

From Aramaic חרסנא‎ (ḥrsnʾ /*ḥarsənē/, “a type of skin disease”) + the feminine noun ending ־יתא‎ (-īṯā). Ultimately from a root related to itching, cognate with Arabic ح ر ش‎ (ḥ-r-š).

Noun

հարսանիթէ • (harsanitʿē)

1. a type of disease that causes red skin rash, perhaps the measles
   • 1184, Mxitʿar Heracʿi, J̌ermancʿ mxitʿarutʿiwn [Relief of Fevers] 28:[1][2][3]

     Եւ վարդն՝ զոր հարսանիթէ ասեն, եւ [յԱղուանից] տունն՝ քութէշ, նոյնպէսն իւր պատճառն արոյնն լինի, զերդ որ ծաղիկն է։

     Ew vardn, zor harsanitʿē asen, ew [yAłuanicʿ] tunn, kʿutʿēš, noynpēsn iwr patčaṙn aroynn lini, zerd or całikn ē.

     The cause of that pink rash which is called harsanitʿē, and in the land of [Caucasian] Albania is called kʿutʿēš, is the blood, as in case of the smallpox.

Descendants

• Armenian: հարսանիթ (harsanitʿ), հարսանոթ (harsanotʿ), հարսանեթ (harsanetʿ)

Further reading

• “ḥrsn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1977) , “հարսն”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume III, 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 62ab, incorrectly considering a new word and deriving from հարսն (harsn, “bride”)
• Łazaryan, Ṙ. S.; Avetisyan, H. M. (2009) , “հարսանիթէ”, in Miǰin hayereni baṙaran [Dictionary of Middle Armenian] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 415b, deriving from Arabic *ḥarasān
• Muradyan, M. H. (1972) , “Baṙagitutʿyun [Lexicology]”, in Ē. B. Ałayan, editor, Aknarkner miǰin grakan hayereni patmutʿyan A [Essays on the History of the Middle Armenian Literary Language I], Yerevan: Academy Press, page 266b, deriving from Arabic *ḥarasān
• Norayr N. Biwzandacʿi (1884) , “rougeole”, in Baṙagirkʿ i gałłierēn lezuē i hayerēn [Dictionary from the French Language into Armenian], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian Press, page 1102a
• Norayr N. Biwzandacʿi (2000) , “հարսանիթէ”, in Martiros Minassian, editor, Baṙagirkʿ storin hayerēni i matenagrutʿeancʿ ŽA–ŽĒ darucʿ [Dictionary of Middle Armenian Based on the Literature of 11–17th Centuries], Geneva: Martiros Minassian, page 420

References

1. Mxitʿar Heracʿi (1832) J̌ermancʿ mxitʿarutʿiwn [Relief of Fevers] (Matenagrutʿiwnkʿ naxneacʿ) (in Middle Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 79
2. Seidel, Ernst (1908) Mechithar’s, des Meisterarztes aus Her, ‘Trost bei Fiebern’: nach dem Venediger Druck vom Jahre 1832 zum ersten Male aus dem Mittelarmenischen übersetzt und erläutert (in German), Leipzig: Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth, page 60
3. Mxitʿar Heracʿi (1968) , S. S. Arevšatjan, editor, Utešenije pri lixoradkax [Relief of Fevers] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Yerevan: Hayastan, page 132