Proto-North Caucasian: *mīʎwĂ ( ~ -ē-, -ɨ̄-)
Meaning: sun; day
Notes: See Trubetzkoy 1922, 239, 242;1930, 275 (who also compares Darg. berħi 'sun' which is reflecting a different NC root, see PNC *wirǝ̄q̇_Ă), Abdokov 1983, 96. The metathesizes form is probably reflected in HU: Hurr. šimī-gǝ 'sun' (with a diminutive suffix), see Diakonoff-Starostin 1986, 23.
The inner analysis of the WC form (prefix *ma- + *ʎʷV 'white, light') which had been accepted by many authors (see Чарая 1912, 46; Яковлев 1948, 273, 292; 1941, 260; Rogava 1956, 26; Kuipers 1960, 111; Shagirov 1, 262) must be regarded as a folk etymology, because of the obvious relationship between the EC and WC forms.
Interesting is the comparison of the WC forms with Old Georgian sa-mχari 'south' (Чикобава 1953, 71); on the other hand, Mészaros' comparison of WC forms with PEC *Hwīq̇_ī 'day' (1934, 242) is absolutely untenable.
