Weekly Georgian Etymology: ჟღალი žğali 'ginger, auburn, russet', late attested word likely descended from Kartvelian *žğ-al- ginger, calico, hazel. Used for hair and eye color, the root may also describe tortoiseshell cats and the rare ruby-colored Georgian wine varietal Žğia.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: მყრალა mq̇rala 'skunk', recent coinage derived from მყრალი mq̇rali stinking, foul, participle of ყარს q̇ars stinks, reeks, from Kartvelian *q̇ar-. Not native to the Caucasus, it is also called სკუნსი sḳunsi, ultimately from Algonquian *šeka·kwa skunk.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ლეღვი leğvi 'fig', from Old Georgian ႪႤႶႥႨ leğvi, from Georgian-Zan *lağw- fig, perhaps borrowed from Akkadian 𒆷𒀊𒁍𒌋 labbum 'inferior date fruit', via some other source lg such as Proto-Armenian or Hurrian. It semantically shifted from product quality to the product itself.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: გვალვა gvalva 'drought', from Old Georgian ႢႥႠႪႥႠ gvalva heat, drought, from Proto-Kartvelian *gwal- drought. Possibly an ancient Wanderwort of the Eurasian Steppe: cf. Indo-European *gʷʰer- warm, Altaic *gUrV- burn, Uralic *korta singe, burn.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ხანძარი xandzari 'fire, blaze', from late Middle Georgian, from Armenian խանձառ xanjaṙ spark, from Indo-European *(s)kend- shine. It is thus cognate with Greek κάνδαρος charcoal, Sanskrit चन्द्र candrá shining, Latin candeo shine and English candle.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: დაბნელება dabneleba 'eclipse', from Old Georgian ႣႠႡႬႤႪႤႡႠ dabneleba, from ბნელი bneli dark, participle of Kartvelian *bun- dark. Used for both eclipses of the sun and the moon, the root specifically refers to the absence of light, and not color.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: გარუჯული garujuli 'sun-tanned', from Middle Georgian რუჯვილი rujvili 'roasted', reanalysis of *brujvili, loan of a northwest Iranian root brej- roast, from Indo-European *bʰreǵ- roast. Cognate with Greek φρύγω roast, Latin frīgō roast, and English fry.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: სტუმარი sṭumari 'guest', from Old Georgian ႱႲႳႫႠႰႨ sṭumari, possibly an ancient compound-loan of Nakh *psṭu wife and *mar husband, itself a loan from Kartvelian *kmarʲ- husband. It reflects a semantic shift from a kinship term to one of social bonds.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ძლევა dzleva 'victory; overcoming', from Old Georgian ႻႪႤႥႠ dzleva, from Georgian-Zan *dzʲal- strong, perhaps an ancient loan from Hurrian 𒀀𒁕𒀠 adal- strong. Also found in the Georgian motto ძალა ერთობაშია Dzala ertobašia 'Strength is in unity'.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: დარტყმა darṭq̇ma 'kick, strike, hit', derived from Old Georgian ႠႰႲႷႫႠ arṭq̇ma, gird, swipe from Kartvelian *raṭq̇-/*rṭq̇- gird, buckle, loan from or into Nakh-Daghestanian *jĕrƛ̣w- belt, girdle. Semantically shifted from a tool to a verb of motion.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: მეკარე meḳare 'goalkeeper', from კარი ḳari gate, door, from Old Georgian ႩႠႰႨ ḳari, from Kartvelian *ḳar- open, ancient loan out of / into Nakh-Daghestanian *kɨrṭV- open: Avar karáṭ, Tindi karṭi, Karata karṭa, all 'hole'. Common semantic shift.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: მზესუმზირა mzesumzira 'sunflower', lit. sun-watcher, compound from ႫႦႨႰႠ mzira gaze, from Georgian-Zan *medzʲir- watch, reanalysis of Akkadian 𒇽𒂗𒉣 maṣṣarum watchman, overseer, agentive form of 𒈾𒍝𒊒 naṣāru guard, from Semitic *NṢR protect.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: გებჟალია gebžalia, cheese roll filled with minty cheese curd, spicy green ajika or yogurt. From the participle of Megrelian გებჟალაფა gebžalapa to milk out, from Megrelian ბჟა bža milk, from Kartvelian *ɬdzʲe milk. A classic west Georgian dish.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: თვითგამორკვევა tvitgamorḳveva 'self-determination', modern coinage from გამორკვევა gamorḳveva determine, research from Old Georgian ႢႠႰႩႥႤႥႠ garḳveva investigate, discern, clean, from Kartvelian *rḳw- clean, polish. Long part of political discourse.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ჩიხირთმა čixirtma 'chicken soup with eggs, onions and spices', from Azerbaijani çığırtma, verbal noun of çığırt- cause to cry or shout, from çağırt-, from Turkic *čā- shout & *-kïr onomatopoetic suffix. Gets its name from the sizzling sound of its creation.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: გუბე gube 'puddle', from Old Georgian ႢႳႡႤ gube, from Georgian-Zan *gub- puddle, ancient loan from a Semitic source: cf. Aramaic ܓܘܒܐ gubba hole, pit, trench, and Akkadian 𒁺𒁍 gubbu cistern, reservoir. Synonyms include ტბორე ṭbore and ჭყაპი č̣q̇aṗi.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: მშვიდობა mšvidoba 'peace', from Old Georgian ႫႸႥႨႣႨ mšvidi calm, quiet, reanalysis of Kartvelian *šˠwid- quiet. Despite its superficial similarity to შვიდი švidi seven, it likely has no connection to a weekly Sabbath day of rest.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: სრუტე sruṭe 'nautical strait', from Middle Georgian *sruṭe strait, narrows, path, metathesis of Greek Σύρτις Gulf of Sidra, known for its treacherous sandbars and reefs, from συρτός swept, dragged, from PIE *twer- twirl, swirl. Originally dialectal.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ბრწყინვალე brc̣q̇invale 'brilliant, bright', from Old Georgian ႡႰႼႷႨႬႥႠႪႤႡႠ brc̣q̇invaleba, from Proto-Kartvelian *berc̣q̇-/*berc̣ʲq̇ spark, glow. Paschal Week is traditionally called ბრწყინვალე შვიდეული Brc̣q̇invale Švideuli, lit. 'Brilliant Septuple'.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: შროშანი šrošani 'lily', from Old Georgian ႸႰႭႸႠႬႨ šrošani, corruption of older *šošani, from Hebrew שושן šošan, from Egyptian 𓊃𓈙𓈖𓆸 zešen lotus flower. It gets its form by analogy with შრეში šreši edible asphodel, itself from Parthian 𐭮𐭫𐭩𐭱 šriš.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ღრუბელი ğrubeli 'cloud', from Old Georgian ႶႰႳႡႤႪႨ ğrubeli, from Palaeo-Georgian *ğruebeli, participle of Georgian-Zan *ğru- rumble, growl. Many languages' words for atmospheric phenomena come from verbs of sensing; it originally meant 'thunder cloud'.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: დაკრძალვა daḳrdzalva 'burial, interment', from Old Georgian ႣႠႩႰႻႠႪႥႠ daḳrdzalva, derivation of კერძი ḳerdzi portion, share, from Middle Persian 𐭪𐭫𐭲 kard or 𐭪𐭫𐭲𐭪 kardag portion, from Indo-European *(s)ker- cut off. Ultimately a euphemism for fate.

For the day that's in it, I re-post a thread that I wrote a year ago about the etymology of the other word for "green" in Old Irish, namely 𝓊́𝒶𝒾𝓃𝑒; not its more famous brother 𝑔𝓁𝒶𝓈. The original thread was in response to a thread about Georgian by @trwier.bsky.social. #StPatrick #PatricksDay2026

David Stifter 🍵📄🦊@davidstifter.bsky.social · 2y ago

The other 🟢“green”🟢 (Ir. 𝐮𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞) – an 𝗲𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆. In a timely thread earlier today, Thomas Wier ‪@trwier.bsky.social‬ has demonstrated how Georgian mc̣vane “green” comes from the Kartvelian root *c̣ʲw- “grow, produce”: bsky.app/profile/trwi.... There is a much wider pattern behind this,... /1

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ალბათ albat 'probably', from Middle Georgian, from Persian البته albatte of course, from Arabic الْبَتَّةَ al-batta decision, from Proto-Semitic *BTT cut off, sever, from Afro-Asiatic *bit/but cut off, break. The initial al- is a fossilized article.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: კარადა ḳarada 'wardrobe', modern metathesis and reanalysis of *ḳardarebi wardrobes, from late Ottoman Turkish قاردروب gardırop or Russian гардероб, from French garde-robe, lit. protect-robe, from Frankish *wardōn protect and *rauba booty, robbery.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: მტერი mṭeri 'enemy', from Old Georgian ႫႲႤႰႨ mṭeri, from *m-ṭver-i, agentive participle of Kartvelian *ṭwr- break apart, destroy, possible ancient loan of Urartian 𒌅𒌨 tur- destroy. Many languages' words for enemy come from nouns of ill intent.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: სარკე sarḳe 'mirror', from Old Georgian ႱႠႰႩႤ sarḳe, metathesis of earlier *saḳre, from Kartvelian *ḳr- bind, connect, possibly an ancient Eurasian Wanderwort: cf. Indo-European *ḱer- plait, weave; Altaic *kèra bind, wind; Uralic *kärV bind, knot.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ნაზი nazi 'tender, gentle, delicate', from late Old Georgian ႫႠႦႨ nazi, from Parthian 𐭭𐭠𐭦nāz pleasure, delight, from Proto-Iranian *nāz- take pleasure, exult, be mild. Perhaps a loan from Akkadian 𒈾𒀀𒄭𒍪 naḫsum thin, delicate, fine (of clothing).

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ორთქლი ortkli 'steam, vapor', from Old Georgian ႭႰႧႵႪႨ ortkli, an ancient loan from pre-literary Megrelian *wortkli, from Proto-Kartvelian *wartkl- steam, breath, from earlier *war-tkw-l-, perhaps noun incorporation of Indo-European *h₂weh₁-ro- wind, breath.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ვახშამი vaxšami 'dinner, evening meal' from Old Georgian *vaxšami, metathesis of Avestan xšafniia dinner, supper, from PIE *kʷséps night. It thus may be also cognate with Latin vesper and Armenian գիշեր gišer, both from PIE *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros evening.