Margimuški and Margimuš+i > Margimišæ or Margi? (For the Attention of Those Chasing Semantic Mirages)

Abstract

In Georgian, as well as in the Svan language, margimušk. i or margimuš > margimišæ was borrowed from the Arabic-Persian-Turkish world, while méšiak is a loanword from Russian, which entered the Svan language in a later period. The established Georgian word denoting “deadly poison” is a compound containing a diminutive, while the Svan language preserves the root (muš – tag-vi). As concerns the diminutive form (muš-ak > მუშ-აქ > mésh-i-ak. ), it only differs from šxami (poison) by a slight semantic implication. Thus, certain semantic differentiation can be observed in Svan. As concerns Georgian, the diminutive suffix serves the same purpose: darišxan-a is a poisonous plant, while darišxan-i is a poison manufactured from the plant or a preparation or chemical found in various minerals.