մուրտաստան

Old Armenian

Etymology

Formed within Armenian as մուրտ (murt) +‎ -աստան (-astan) or wholly borrowed from Middle Iranian: compare Persian ‎ (mūrdestān, a toponym, literally “myrtle-place”)[1][2][3].

Noun

մուրտաստան • (murtastan)

myrtle-grove
- 5th century, Bible, Judges 1.35:[4]
  Եւ սկսաւ ամուրհացին բնակել ի լերինն մուրտաստանի (var. մուրաստանի)․ ուր արջք և աղուէսք ի մուրտաստանսն (var. մուրաստանն) և ի Սաղապին։
  Ew sksaw amurhacʿin bnakel i lerinn murtastani (var. murastani); ur arǰkʿ ew ałuēskʿ i murtastansn (var. murastann) ew i Sałapin.
  And the Amorite began to dwell in the mountain of myrtle-grove, in which [are] bears, and foxes, in myrtle-grove, and in Thalabin.

Usage notes

In the Bible renders Ancient Greek Μυρσινών (Mursinṓn). Sometimes treated as a proper noun.

Declension

i-a-type

	singular	plural
nominative	մուրտաստան (murtastan)	մուրտաստանք (murtastankʿ)
genitive	մուրտաստանի (murtastani)	մուրտաստանաց (murtastanacʿ)
dative	մուրտաստանի (murtastani)	մուրտաստանաց (murtastanacʿ)
accusative	մուրտաստան (murtastan)	մուրտաստանս (murtastans)
ablative	մուրտաստանէ (murtastanē)	մուրտաստանաց (murtastanacʿ)
instrumental	մուրտաստանաւ (murtastanaw)	մուրտաստանաւք = մուրտաստանօք (murtastanawkʿ = murtastanōkʿ)
locative	մուրտաստանի (murtastani)	մուրտաստանս (murtastans)

References

Angelus à S. Joseph (1684) Gazophylacium linguae Persarum, Amsterdam, page 231
Tʿireakʿean, Yarutʿiwn (1914), “մուրտաստան”, in Ariahay baṙaran : Norog tesutʿeambkʿ ew yaweluacovkʿ [Armeno-Aryan Dictionary] (in Armenian), Vienna: Mekhitarist Press, page 276
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 333
Zōhrapean, Yovhannēs, editor (1805) Astuacašunčʿ matean Hin ew Nor Ktakaranacʿ [Bible: Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments], volume I, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 473

Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1977), “մուրտ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), volume III, 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 364b
Awgerean, Mkrtičʿ; Čēlalean, Grigor (1865), “մուրտաստան”, in Aṙjeṙn baṙaran haykaznean lezui [Pocket Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 573b
Petrosean, H. Matatʿeay V. (1879), “մուրտաստան”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy

[1] Angelus à S. Joseph (1684) Gazophylacium linguae Persarum, Amsterdam, page 231

[2] Tʿireakʿean, Yarutʿiwn (1914), “մուրտաստան”, in Ariahay baṙaran : Norog tesutʿeambkʿ ew yaweluacovkʿ [Armeno-Aryan Dictionary] (in Armenian), Vienna: Mekhitarist Press, page 276

[3] 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 333

[4] Zōhrapean, Yovhannēs, editor (1805) Astuacašunčʿ matean Hin ew Nor Ktakaranacʿ [Bible: Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments], volume I, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 473