Proto-Turkic: *ăja-
Meaning: 1 to esteem 2 to pity, look after 3 very
Russian meaning: 1 почитать 2 беречь, жалеть 3 очень, сильно
Old Turkic: aja- 1, ajɨ 3 (OUygh.)
Turkish: aj- 2, aja- dial. 1
Tatar: aja- 2
Middle Turkic: aja- 1 (Ettuhf.)
Uzbek: aja- 2
Uighur: aji- 2
Azerbaidzhan: ajin 'cult, ceremony'
Turkmen: aja- 2
Khakassian: aja- 2, aj 3
Shor: aja- 2 (in ajabān 'remorseless')
Chuvash: oja- 'to care'
Tuva: aj 'well'
Kirghiz: aja- 2
Kazakh: aja- 2
Noghai: aja- 2
Bashkir: aja- 2
Balkar: aja- 2
Karaim: aja- 2
Karakalpak: aja- 2
Kumyk: aja- 2
Comments: VEWT 10-11, EDT 267-8, ЭСТЯ 1, 101-102, Федотов 2, 298. Deriving *aja- 'to respect, esteem' from *aj 'fear' (VEWT 11) is hardly plausible. Clauson (EDT 182) thinks that OUygh. ajɨ 'very' is an unusually early example of the elision of -g in ańɨɣ 'evil', which means 'very' in many OUygh. texts, but this is hardly plausible phonetically; so it may belong here, together with Khak. aj 'very' (although the final narrow ɨ is a problem). Sevortyan relates here also SUygh. ajɨɣ 'good omen, good luck', but this may be a reflex of OUygh., Karakh. ajɨq 'vow, promise' (EDT 270).
