North Caucasian etymology : Query result

Proto-North Caucasian: *ʎ_iHmV

Meaning: roe, mountain goat, deer

Proto-Nakh: *lVwV

Proto-Avaro-Andian: *ʎ(:)ama (~ o)

Proto-Lezghian: *ʎ(:)ʷij (~ -ɨ-)

Proto-West Caucasian: *ʎ́a

Notes: The root is not widely represented, but the regular correspondences between PN, Cham., Tab. and Ub. justify the reconstruction of PNC *ʎ_iHmV (in Tab. we must suppose a frequent metathesis of labialisation).

Some EC languages also have names for roe or mountain goat which are hard to separate from this root and are possibly derived from it:

a) *ʎ_im-kV ( > *ʎ_winkV or *ʎ_inkwV) reflected in Av. ʎ:inkʷá 'mountain goat', Cham. ʎũka (Gig. ʎunka) 'roe, chamois'. Note the same notation ʎ- (as in ʎama) in Cham. (only MSU recordings of the word are known to us; the strong ʎ:- in Av. presupposes the same consonant in Andian languages). A recent loan from Andian (Cham. or Tindi, where the root is not attested) is Inkh. ʎunka 'roe'. Less clear is the origin of PGB *ʎiga 'roe' (Bezht., Gunz. ʎiga) - is it an irregular development (with voicing -k- > -g-) from *ʎ_im-kV; or is it a Nakh loan (cf. Ing. lijg 'roe' with a diminutive suffix -g)?

b) *ʎ_im-tV ( > *ʎ_wintV) reflected in PD *xʷinta (Ak. hinta 'doe', Ur. hinta, Kub. xʷinta, Kait. šʷenta 'roe'). Borrowed from Darg. are Lak. hinta 'chamois, gazelle' and (from an Old Darg. form *finta) Av. pintá 'gazelle, antelope' (Chad. butá id.).

The proposed derivation of *ʎ_imkV and *ʎ_imtV seems probable to us; however, we must note that suffixes *-kV and *-tV are very rare, and more checking is needed to make a final decision on this etymology.