Proto-West-Caucasian: *bṼʒ́V
Meaning: fly
Abkhaz: á-mc̣
Abaza: čʷǝ-nc̣ǝ
Adyghe: bāʒa
Kabardian: bāʒa
Ubykh: ba(n)ʒ́ǝ́
Comments: PAT *mǝć̣ǝ (cf. Bz. á-mć̣; the Abaz. form originally meant 'gadfly' /lit. "ox"+"fly", cf. Abkh. Bz. á-ć̌-mǝć̣ 'gadfly'); PAK *baʒá. Glottalisation in PAT is secondary (probably, under the influence of *mac̣a 'locust, grasshopper' q.v.).
The dissolution of the AK root and its derivation from PWC *ʒ́ǝ 'flea, fly' q.v. (Rogava 1956, 13-14) is untenable.
WC > Osset. bǝnʒ / binʒä 'fly' (despite Trubetzkoy 1921, 249, who suggested the opposite direction of loan; Dumézil (1963,15) argued correctly with Trubetzkoy, but his reference to the root's expressive nature is not quite appropriate, since the Osset. and WC roots are specifically close to each other. Other etymologies of the Osset. word (see Abayev 1958, 280) are unsuccessful.
