Dargwa etymology : List with all references

Proto-North Caucasian: *mħĕrqwĕ ( ~ -ʕ-, -ɨ̆)

Meaning: birch; wood, timber

Proto-Avaro-Andian: *mV(r)qV ( ~ -χ-)

Proto-Lak: marq

Proto-Dargwa: *maqʷ

Proto-Lezghian: *merχIʷ(a)

Proto-West Caucasian: *pǝ̃q́ʷa (~p:-,χ́ʷ)

Notes: In PEC this root is probably the basic name for the birch-tree. It should be strictly distinguished from *mĭhV (probably, "alder") and from *wēqwV ("asp" or "poplar"), although they tend to contaminate and have similar reflexes in many modern languages. See Abdokov 1983, 106.

Avar-Andian etymology :

Protoform: *mV(r)qV ( ~ -χ-)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: birch

Avar: maχ

Chadakolob: maχ

Comments: Av. paradigm A (máχi-l). Chad. maχ was subject to literary influence (otherwise maħ would be expected). The Av. form should be kept apart from PA *biqʷV-r 'birch' ( = Av. biháro 'poplar', see *wēqwV).

Lak etymology :

Lak root: marq

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: poles for planking the ceiling

Lak form: marq

Comments: Cf. also Khosr. marqʷ id.

Lezghian etymology :

Proto-Lezghian: *merχIʷ(a)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: birch

Tabasaran: murχIu-n har

Kryz: merχ

Budukh: merχ

Comment: 3d class in Kryz. and Bud. Obl. stem *merχIʷɨ- or *merχIʷä- (to judge from Tab. murχIu-). The root should be distinguished from a very similar PL *werχIʷ id. (see *wēqwV), although they contaminated almost to the point of complete merging.

Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology :

Proto-West-Caucasian: *pǝ̃q́ʷa (~p:-,χ́ʷ)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: wood, timber

Abkhaz: -mħa-

Abaza: mħa-

Adyghe: pχa

Kabardian: pχa

Ubykh: mǝχ́a-

Comments: PAT *mǝħa, used in compounds (cf. Abkh. a-mħá-č̣ '(wooden) spoon', a-mħa-bǝsta, Bz. a-mħá-p 'a wooden shovel with long handle for stirring gruel', Abaz. mħa-č̣ʷa 'spoon' etc.); the same situation prevails in Ub., cf. Ub. mǝχ́ā-č̣́a 'wooden shovel for stirring gruel' (cf. āč̣́a 'wide and flat'), mǝχ́ā́-c̣ʷ 'spoon' ( = Abkh. a-mħáč̣).

In all three subgroups of WC we have a delabialized uvular (after the initial labial). The labialisation, however, is to be reconstructed - otherwise (in case of PWC *q́) Ub. would have q́, not χ́, or (in case of PWC *χ́), the Adygh languages would have ħ, not χ. We can not distinguish between PWC *q́ʷ and *χ́ʷ here because of the Adygh form (the cluster *pχ-, because of a specific development of *q in clusters, can go back to both *pχ- and *pq-).

Additional note: there is an enigmatic form in EC: Kar. miʁaža 'wooden spoon'. It resembles Ub. mǝχ́āc̣ʷ and Abkh. a-mħáč̣, but it can not correspond to them phonetically (furthermore, we have demonstrated above that the WC forms in question have a complex morphological nature). Perhaps, we deal with an old loanword in Kar.?