# ցեց
## Armenian
### Etymology

From Old Armenian ցեց (cʻecʻ).

### Pronunciation

* (Eastern Armenian) IPA: /t͡sʰet͡sʰ/, [t͡sʰet͡sʰ]
* (Western Armenian) IPA: /t͡set͡s/, [t͡sʰet͡sʰ]
* Audio (Eastern Armenian):(file)

### Noun

ցեց • (cʻecʻ)
* moth
    Synonym: մղմող (mġmoġ)
* a kind of skin disease
* (figuratively) something or someone who oppresses, exploits, consumes or spoils something or someone
* (figuratively) restless person

#### Declension

i-type, animate (Eastern Armenian) :
| | singular | plural |
| nominative | ցեց (cʻecʻ) | ցեցեր (cʻecʻer) |
| dative | ցեցի (cʻecʻi) | ցեցերի (cʻecʻeri) |
| ablative | ցեցից (cʻecʻicʻ) | ցեցերից (cʻecʻericʻ) |
| instrumental | ցեցով (cʻecʻov) | ցեցերով (cʻecʻerov) |
| locative | — | — |
| | definite forms | definite forms |
| nominative | ցեցը/ցեցն (cʻecʻə/cʻecʻn) | ցեցերը/ցեցերն (cʻecʻerə/cʻecʻern) |
| dative | ցեցին (cʻecʻin) | ցեցերին (cʻecʻerin) |
| | 1st person possessive forms (my) | 1st person possessive forms (my) |
| nominative | ցեցս (cʻecʻs) | ցեցերս (cʻecʻers) |
| dative | ցեցիս (cʻecʻis) | ցեցերիս (cʻecʻeris) |
| ablative | ցեցիցս (cʻecʻicʻs) | ցեցերիցս (cʻecʻericʻs) |
| instrumental | ցեցովս (cʻecʻovs) | ցեցերովս (cʻecʻerovs) |
| locative | — | — |
| | 2nd person possessive forms (your) | 2nd person possessive forms (your) |
| nominative | ցեցդ (cʻecʻd) | ցեցերդ (cʻecʻerd) |
| dative | ցեցիդ (cʻecʻid) | ցեցերիդ (cʻecʻerid) |
| ablative | ցեցիցդ (cʻecʻicʻd) | ցեցերիցդ (cʻecʻericʻd) |
| instrumental | ցեցովդ (cʻecʻovd) | ցեցերովդ (cʻecʻerovd) |
| locative | — | — |

## Old Armenian
### Etymology

The origin is uncertain. Similar words for moth are found in neighbouring languages: Udi цӏецӏ (c̣ec̣), Proto-Georgian-Zan *c₁ic₁-, Akkadian 𒌨𒈨 (sāsu), Classical Syriac ܣܣܐ (sāsā), Ancient Greek σής (sḗs) etc. The Armenian is often considered a Semitic borrowing, even though Semitic s is incompatible with Armenian ց (cʻ). To overcome this problem, Ačaṙean assumes derivation from Akkadian 𒍝𒀀𒍮 (ṣāṣu), a supposed emphatic form of the more common 𒌨𒈨 (/⁠sāsu⁠/); however, the existence of this alternative emphatic form found in Muss-Arnolt but not in more recent references is in doubt.
We may be dealing with independent expressive formations for insects in various languages, like in the case of ճճի (čči).

### Noun

ցեց • (cʻecʻ)
* moth
* (pathology) herpes

#### Derived terms

* ցեցակեր (cʻecʻaker)
* ցեցակերեալ (cʻecʻakereal)
* ցեցամէց (cʻecʻamēcʻ)

#### Descendants

* Armenian: ցեց (cʻecʻ)

### References

* Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “ցեց”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, pages 453–454
* Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “ցեց”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
* Hübschmann, Heinrich (1892) “Die semitischen Lehnwörter im Altarmenischen”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎ (in German), volume 46, page 251
* Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 317
* Muss-Arnolt, William (1905) A Concise Dictionary of the Assyrian Language, volume II, Berlin: Reuther & Reichard, page 887b
* Nikolaev, Sergei L., Starostin, Sergei A. (1994) “*miʒ_Ă / *ʒ_imiʒĂ”, in A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary‎, Moscow: Asterisk Publishers
* Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 939
* Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “ցեց”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
* Schulze, Wolfgang (2001) The Udi Gospels: Annotated Text, Etymological Index, Lemmatized Concordance (Languages of the World/Text Library; 5)‎, Munich: Lincom Europa, page 264b
* Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 52