# երախայ
## Old Armenian
### Alternative forms

* երեխայ (erexay)

### Etymology

Borrowed from the Semitic etymon of Ancient Greek ῥακά (rhaká), ῥαχά (rhakhá), ῥαχᾶς (rhakhâs), Old Armenian ռակայ (ṙakay, “idiot, fool”): compare Aramaic רֵיקָא (rēqā, “worthless person; profane”), Classical Syriac ܪܝܩܐ (rēqā, “vain thing”), Hebrew רֵיק (rēq, “empty; vain; worthless”). The connection with ռակայ (ṙakay) was made already by Hiwnkʿearpēyēntean. Basil describes Ancient Greek ῥακά (rhaká) as "a vernacular word of mild abuse used in the family circle". For the sense development ‘fool’ → ‘child’ see խոխա (xoxa). Alternatively, the sense development is ‘worthless person’ → ‘profane person’ → ‘unbaptized person’ → ‘child’. For the alternation երախայ (eraxay) ~ երեխայ (erexay), compare Ancient Greek ῥαχά (rhakhá) ~ Aramaic רֵיקָא (rēqā), if we are not dealing with vowel assimilation within Armenian.
The initial ե- (e-) is a prothetic vowel added to words starting with ր- (r-) according to well-known phonotactic constraints of Armenian, as in եղբայր (ełbayr), երագ (erag), երակ (erak), երախ (erax), երասան (erasan) etc.
Doublet of ռակայ (ṙakay).
See also Արախա (Araxa).

### Noun

երախայ • (eraxay)
* (Christianity) unbaptized person; catechumen
* newborn child; child that cannot yet speak

#### Declension
### Adjective

երախայ • (eraxay)
* child- or simple-minded, silly

#### Declension
### Derived terms

* երախայական (eraxayakan)
* երախայանամ (eraxayanam)
* երախայապէս (eraxayapēs)
* երախայացուցանեմ (eraxayacʻucʻanem)
* երախայեցուցանեմ (eraxayecʻucʻanem)
* երախայութիւն (eraxayutʻiwn)
* երեխայութիւն (erexayutʻiwn)

### Related terms

* սրիկայ (srikay)

### Descendants

* Armenian: երեխա (erexa), >? խոխա (xoxa)

### References

* ↑ Hiwnkʻearpēyēntean, Yovhannēs (1894) “երախայ”, in Stugabanakan baṙaran hayocʻ lezui [Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Language]‎ (in Armenian), Constantinople: G. Paġtatlean Press, page 214a
* ↑ Moulton, James Hope, Milligan, George (1914–1929) “ῥακά”, in The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. Illustrated from the Papyri and other Non-Literary Sources, London: Hodder and Stoughton, page 562b

### Further reading

* Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “երախայ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume II, Yerevan: University Press, page 36ab, compares Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (lsyk'), [Book Pahlavi needed] (lhyk'), 𐫡𐫍𐫏𐫃 (rhyg /⁠rahīg⁠/), Parthian 𐫡𐫍𐫏𐫃 (rhyg /⁠rahīg⁠/, “child; page, servant”), and because these cannot account for Armenian, assumes origin from a hypothetical Syriac *raxā (unaware of the above-quoted Semitic and Greek forms), from which both Armenian and Iranian are borrowed; however, the Iranian words are unrelated and rather belong under Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hrátʰas (“chariot”) (see Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 429)
* Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “երախայ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
* J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “երախայ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 219b, repeats Ačaṙean
* Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “երախայ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy