# երկաթ
## Armenian
### Alternative forms

* էրկաթ (ērkatʻ) — dialectal, colloquial

### Etymology

From Old Armenian երկաթ (erkatʻ).

### Pronunciation

* (Eastern Armenian) IPA: /jeɾˈkɑtʰ/, [jeɾkɑ́tʰ]
* (Western Armenian) IPA: /jeɾˈɡɑt/, [jeɾɡɑ́tʰ]
* Audio (Eastern Armenian):(file)

### Noun

երկաթ • (erkatʻ)
* iron
* (colloquial) any metal
* (colloquial) metallic object (not necessarily of iron)
    էս ի՞նչ էրկաթներ են ստեղ ցցված ― ēs i$^?$nčʻ ērkatʻner en steġ cʻcʻvac ― what are these metallic things sticking out here?

#### Derived terms

* երկաթե (erkatʻe)
* երկաթյա (erkatʻya)
* երկաթուղի (erkatʻuġi)
* խաչերկաթ (xačʻerkatʻ)

## Old Armenian
### Etymology

The origin is unclear. An overview of opinions follows.
Often connected with the reflexes of Proto-Georgian-Zan *rḳina- (“iron”) (compare especially Laz ერკინა (erǩina)) and Proto-Lezghian *req̇ʷ (“iron”), as well as with Albanian hékur, ekur (“iron”), but the nature of the relationship is unknown.
According to Schrader, the Armenian is borrowed from Georgian-Zan, the ending -աթ (-atʻ) developing under the analogical influence of արծաթ (arcatʻ, “silver”). Tomaschek and Bork too argue for a Georgian-Zan or Northeast Caucasian origin for Armenian.
Bugge 1889 proposes derivation from Proto-Indo-European through an earlier form *երվաթ (*ervatʻ), with cognates in Old High German aruz, aruzzi, erizzi, German Erz (“ore”) and perhaps Sanskrit अरुण (aruṇa), अरुष (aruṣa, “reddish”). In 1893 he disavows this etymology and prefers the above Caucasian origin, adducing also Northern Mansi аргин (argin), Eastern Mari вӱрге́не (vürgéńe), Komi-Zyrian ыргӧн (yrgön, “copper”), Hungarian horgany (“zinc”) as borrowings from the same Caucasian source, but modern research explains these Uralic words otherwise.
Ačaṙean points to another group of superficially similar eastern Uralic words, namely Northern Mansi ке̄р (kēr), Northern Khanty карты (karty), Udmurt корт (kort), Komi-Zyrian кӧрт (kört), Komi-Permyak кӧрт (kört), Eastern Mari кӹртни (kÿrtńi), Moksha кшни (kšni), Erzya кшни (kšni, “iron”), without committing to any solution. He rejects all of the above etymologies and leaves the origin open.
J̌ahukyan 1987 again connects Old Armenian երկաթ (erkatʻ) with the above Kartvelian and Northeast Caucasian words, assuming that all of these languages borrowed the word from some unknown language, perhaps Hurro-Urartian. He adds that the Uralic words for “iron” (Eastern Mari кӹртни (kÿrtńi) etc.) may have been borrowed from Proto-Armenian, if it is accepted that at some point on the way to their historical homeland Proto-Armenians had direct contacts with the Uralic tribes.
Olsen lists երկաթ (erkatʻ) among her words of unknown origin.
Finally, J̌ahukyan 2010 connects with երկինք (erkinkʻ, “sky”), deriving both from Proto-Indo-European *d(i)w-, from *dyew- (“to be bright; sky, heaven”), the ending -աթ (-atʻ) developing under the analogical influence of արծաթ (arcatʻ, “silver”), explaining the connection between “sky” and “iron” by the fact that iron meteorites were one of the earliest sources of usable iron available to humans. For the sound changes see երկու (erku). He adds that the Kartvelian words are probably borrowed from Old Armenian երկինք (erkinkʻ, “sky”). For the association between “sky” and “iron” compare also Coptic ⲃⲉⲛⲓⲡⲉ (benipe, “iron”), which etymologically is from an Egyptian phrase meaning “metal of the heaven” (see Černý).

### Noun

երկաթ • (erkatʻ)
* iron
    երկաթ կակուղ ― erkatʻ kakuł ― soft, malleable iron
    երկաթ դիւրահերձ ― erkatʻ diwraherj ― red-short iron, hot-short iron, red shear or sear iron
    երկաթ կալուանացեալ ― erkatʻ kaluanacʻeal ― galvanized iron
    երկաթ կռանահար ― erkatʻ kṙanahar ― forged, tilted, bar or malleable iron
    երկաթ հայելական ― erkatʻ hayelakan ― specular, oligist iron, iron ore
    երկաթ հրաբեր ― erkatʻ hraber ― pyrophoric iron
    երկաթ սպիտակ/թանագ ― erkatʻ spitak/tʻanag ― plate, white iron, tinned iron plate, tin, tin plate
    երկաթ հնոտի ― erkatʻ hnoti ― old iron
    կոտորք երկաթոյ ― kotorkʻ erkatʻoy ― grape shot
    սայր երկաթոյ ― sayr erkatʻoy ― tag
    վաճառական երկաթոյ ― vačaṙakan erkatʻoy ― smith, blacksmith
    պատել երկաթով ― patel erkatʻov ― to bind or mount with iron
    բազմախողխող երկաթ ― bazmaxołxoł erkatʻ ― sharp
    երկաթի դար ― erkatʻi dar ― iron age
    կռանել զերկաթ մինչ ատրաշէկն է ― kṙanel zerkatʻ minčʻ atrašēkn ē ― to beat the iron while it is hot
* iron tool, iron weapon, sword, razor, nail
* (in the plural) fetters, irons, chains, gyves

#### Declension

post-classical
post-classical

#### Derived terms

* աներկաթ (anerkatʻ)
* երկաթագամ (erkatʻagam)
* երկաթագիր (erkatʻagir)
* երկաթագործ (erkatʻagorc)
* երկաթագործի (erkatʻagorci)
* երկաթակապ (erkatʻakap)
* երկաթակարծր (erkatʻakarcr)
* երկաթակուռ (erkatʻakuṙ)
* երկաթակտրութիւն (erkatʻaktrutʻiwn)
* երկաթահանք (erkatʻahankʻ)
* երկաթահատ (erkatʻahat)
* երկաթահար (erkatʻahar)
* երկաթաձոր (erkatʻajor)
* երկաթանամ (erkatʻanam)
* երկաթանիգ (erkatʻanig)
* երկաթապատ (erkatʻapat)
* երկաթապինդ (erkatʻapind)
* երկաթեղէն (erkatʻełēn)
* երկաթի (erkatʻi)

#### Descendants

* Armenian: երկաթ (erkatʻ)

### References

* Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “երկաթ”, 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, pages 58–60
* Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “երկաթ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
* Bork, Ferdinand (1907) Beiträge zur Kaukasischen Sprachwissenschaft. T. 1. Kaukasische Miszellen (in German), Königsberg: R. Leupold, pages 18–19
* Bugge, Sophus (1889) “Beiträge zur etymologischen Erläuterung der armenischen Sprache”, in Forhandlinger i Videnskabs-selskabet i Christiania (in German), No. 4, Christiania, pages 14–15
* Bugge, Sophus (1893) “Beiträge zur etymologischen Erläuterung der armenischen Sprache”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung (in German), volume 32, pages 83–84
* Černý, Jaroslav (1976) Coptic Etymological Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 24
* Erckert, Roderich von (1895) Die Sprachen des kaukasischen Stammes. I. Theil. Wörterverzeichniss (in German), Vienna: Alfred Hölder, § 103, page 57
* J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1987) Hayocʻ lezvi patmutʻyun; naxagrayin žamanakašrǰan [History of the Armenian language: The Pre-Literary Period]‎ (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, pages 265, 295, 436, 598, 612
* J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “երկաթ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 226b
* 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 949
* Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “երկաթ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
* Schrader, Otto (1890) Frank Byron Jevons, transl., Prehistoric antiquities of the Aryan peoples: a manual of comparative philology and the earliest culture, London: Charles Griffin and Company, page 203 and 210
* Thorsø, Rasmus (2023) Prehistoric loanwords in Armenian: Hurro-Urartian, Kartvelian, and the unclassified substrate‎, PhD dissertation, Leiden University, page 87
* Tomaschek, Wilhelm (1890) “Review of Bugge 1889”, in Deutsche Litteraturzeitung (in German), volume XI, number 6, Berlin, column 197