Margimušk. i 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 sematic 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.