Proto-North Caucasian: *č_wăṭi ( ~ -e)
Meaning: bread
Notes: A cultural word, spread in many Caucasian languages (cf. also PK *(m)č̣ad- 'bread' > Old Georg. č̣adi, Georg. mč̣adi; Georgian is the immediate source of Gunz. č̣ɔdɔ 'corn bread'), Osset. c̣ata 'bran' (see Abayev 1958, 330). Some irregularities (loss of glottalisation in Av., Bezht., Darg., weakening *č:- > č- in Avar, assimilation *č- > č̣- in PL) are probably due to the root's structure (these are processes frequently occurring in roots containing two stops); some of them, however, can be explained by interlingual borrowing. Above we have listed reflexes that are most likely to be genuine. Besides them, there are more or less obvious loanwords: Lak. čut:u 'cake', Chech. čutta 'stuffed boiled cake', Av. čudú id., Lezg. küt ( < *čʷit) 'a k. of bread'. Judging from the phonetic side, all of these words have ultimately a Dargwa source (PD *čut:ʷi, see above).
