Proto-North Caucasian: *ʔirχ_wV / *χirχ_wV
Meaning: to saw
Notes: An expressive root with many irregular changes. Nevertheless, at least two common EC derivates can be reconstructed: a) *ʔVrχ_wVrV (with reduction *χ:ʷVrV) > Gunz. hǝru, Lak. χ:ara-, PL *ʔarχ:(ʷ)Vra; b) *χirχ_wV (coinciding with the reduplicated verbal stem).
A similar stem exists in Kartvelian: *χarχ- 'to saw, saw' (see Klimov 1964, 257-258). From Kartvelian (Georg. χerχ- 'saw', Megr. χorχ- id.) it was borrowed into many NC languages: Chech., Ing., Bacb. χerχ, Inkh. χereχ, Tsez., Gin. χiriχ, Bezht. Tlad. χorʁo, Khosh. χorχo, Abkh. a-χʷarχ́ (Bzyb. a-χ́arχ́).
