# մրգուզ
## Old Armenian
### Alternative forms

* մրքուզ (mrkʻuz)

### Etymology

The origin has been considered unknown. NHB compares to Arabic مَرْكُوز (markūz, “fixed, fastened; hid, buried”), passive participle of رَكَزَ (rakaza, “to plant into the ground”). A better comparison is Arabic مَرْجُوس (marjūs, “filthy, abominable”), passive participle of رَجِسَ (rajisa, “to be filthy, to be abominable”) from the root ر ج س (r-j-s) which is well-used in various forms though this passive participle is hardly known because the active participle رَاجِس (rājis) or rather the – lexicalized – adjective form رَجِس (rajis) is expected, likely cognate to Ge'ez ረኵሰ (räkʷsä, “to be impure, to be contaminated”) also with many formations in its root, pars pro toto for all Ethiopian Semitic languages as this root is widely present in Ethiopian and Cushitic where the root has been borrowed from Ethiopian. For the sound correspondence note that the classical dictionaries also list رِجْز (rijz) and رِكْس (riks) as dialectal variants of رِجْس (rijs, “filth”).
Note also Classical Syriac ܡܪܓܙܢܐܼ (mrgznˀ /⁠margəzānā⁠/, “quarrelsome; one who provokes to anger”), from the root of ܪܘܓܙܐ (rūḡzā, “anger”).
Under both theories, Latin murcus (“a coward, who, to escape military service, cuts off his thumb”) and murgisō (“shrewd shyster”), likely foreign borrowings, might be related.

### Adjective

մրգուզ • (mrguz)
* vile, abject, low, base, mean, despicable; obscure
    Synonyms: փանաքի (pʻanakʻi), անարգ (anarg), անաւագ (anawag), յետին (yetin), աննշան (annšan), սինլքոր (sinlkʻor), նուաստ (nuast), ընկեցիկ (ənkecʻik), երկրաքարշ (erkrakʻarš)
** 5th century, Ełišē, Ban xratu yałags mianjancʻ [Exhortation to the monks] :Մրգուզք անյագք եղաք ի կերակուրս, եւ առանց չափոյ արբաք գինի պղտորիչ խորհրդոց եւ մտաց։Mrguzkʻ anyagkʻ ełakʻ i kerakurs, ew aṙancʻ čʻapʻoy arbakʻ gini płtoričʻ xorhrdocʻ ew mtacʻ.
** 6th century, Philo of Alexandria, Yałags ban unel ew anasun kendaneacʻd, aṙ Liwsimakʻos [De Animalibus] :Քանզի զո՞ր տարւոյն ժամանակ դադարեմք յԱստղկան ցանկութեանցն, ի սովորութիւն եւ զանխառնակացն զհետ երթալ մրգուզքս։Kʻanzi zo$^?$r tarwoyn žamanak dadaremkʻ yAstłkan cʻankutʻeancʻn, i sovorutʻiwn ew zanxaṙnakacʻn zhet ertʻal mrguzkʻs.Translation by Abraham TerianFor at what season of the year do we cease from venereal pleasures and from practicing our customary and constant vices?
** 11th century, Grigor Magistros, Grigor Magistrosi tʻłtʻerə [The letters of Grigor Magistros] :Մրգուզ փանաք ծրդեալ ծեքեալ անհոյծ ոգեալ յառեալMrguz pʻanakʻ crdeal cekʻeal anhoyc ogeal yaṙeal

### References

* ↑ Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1977) “մրգուզ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume III, Yerevan: University Press, page 369b
* ↑ J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “մրգուզ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 542b
* ↑ Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1837) “մրգուզ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), volume II, Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 308a
* 1 2 Kerestedjian, Bedros (1945) Kerest Haig, editor, Étude philologique et lexicographique de 6000 mots et noms arméniens avec des comparaisons de 100.000 mots de 900 langues et des données historiques et géographiques‎ (in French), London: Bernard Quaritch Ltd., page 291
* ↑ Urišean, Vardgēs (1998) “մրգուզ”, in Mer armatnerə nor loysi tak [Our Root Words Under New Light] (in Armenian), volume II, Fresno: Meshag Printing & Publishing, page 67a
* ↑ So in ركن الدين محمد بن محرز بن محمد الوهراني / ركن الدين محمد بن محمد بن محرز الوهراني [rukn al-dīn muḥammad ibn muḥammad ibn miḥriz al-wahrāniyy] (d. 575 AH / 1179 AD) منذر الحايك, editor, منامات الوهراني وحكاياته [The Wahrani Dreams], Damascus: دار صفحات للدراسات و النشر, published 2011, →ISBN, page 224 which the editor reckons necessary to gloss قَذِر (qaḏir)
* ↑ See for further forms Dillmann, August (1865) “ረኵሰ”, in Lexicon linguae aethiopicae cum indice latino (in Latin), Leipzig: T. O. Weigel, column 301 seqq. and Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 470a
* ↑ Awgereancʻ, Mkrtičʻ (1822) Pʻiloni Ebrayecʻwoy bankʻ erekʻ čʻew i loys əncayealkʻ. A. B. Yałags naxaxnamutʻean. G. Yałags kendaneacʻ [Philonis Judaei sermones tres hactenus inediti. I et II De Providentia, et III De Animalibus], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy, page 149
* ↑ Terian, Abraham (1981) Philonis Alexandrini de Animalibus: The Armenian Text with an Introduction, Translation and Commentary (Studies in Hellenistic Judaism; 1)‎, Chico, California: Scholars Press, page 89
* ↑ Kostaneancʻ, Karapet (1910) Grigor Magistrosi tʻġtʻerə [The letters of Grigor Magistros]‎, Alexandropol: Gēorg Sanoyeancʻ Press, page 237

### Further reading

* Ġazarean, Ṙubēn (2006) “մրգուզ”, in Grabari homanišneri baṙaran [Dictionary of Old Armenian Synonyms], Yerevan: University Press
* Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “մրգուզ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy