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 · last yr.

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.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ქარბუქი karbuki 'snowstorm, blizzard', modern compound of Old Georgian ႵႠႰႨ kari wind and ႡႳႵႨ buki snowstorm, from Kartvelian *kar- wind and Old Armenian բուք buk snowstorm, from Indo-European *bʰuH- swell, blow, become. One of several words for blizzards.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: სუსხი susxi 'biting cold', reduplication of a late loan from/into late Middle Georgian and some Caucasian source: cf. Adyghe saχ frost, Abaza sǝχa snow-flake or sleet, Akusha Dargwa šaχ hoar-frost, Kubachi šaχʷ hoar-frost. A pan-Caucasian Wanderwort.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: მეკვლეობა Meḳvleoba 'First-foot (tradition)', from Middle Georgian მეკვლე meḳvle hunter, tracker from Old Georgian ႩႳႠႪႨ ḳuali trace, step, from Georgian-Zan *ḳwal- step. It draws its name from superstitions surrounding the New Year's first visitor.

Georgian has a pretty distinct word for 'Greek': berʒeni (ბერძენი). It's been explained as deriving from a word for 'wise', with Greece thought of as the land of wise people, but a more plausible explanation is that it comes from the city of Byzantium, centuries before it became Constantinople.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: დასი dasi 'group, troupe, choir, host', from Old Georgian ႣႠႱႨ dasi, via Old Armenian դաս das or directly from Indo-Iranian das- heap, arrange, perhaps from Indo-European dmH₂-sḱ- build. At Christmas time commonly used to refer to hosts of angels.

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ზღარბი zğarbi 'hedgehog', from Middle Georgian გძღარბი gdzğarbi, from Old Georgian ႢႰႻႶႠႡႨ grdzğabi, compound of Kartvelian *grdz- long and ğab- jowl, from Arabic غَبْغَب ğabğab- chin. The Southern White-Breasted species is endemic to the Caucasus.