կուչ

Armenian

Etymology

Originally a dialectal word. According to J̌ahukyan, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gukyo-, grown from the root *gew- (“to bend, to curve”) and cognate with Old Armenian *կուք- (*kukʻ-), կքեմ (kkʻem). He considers the borrowing from an Iranian cognate of Sanskrit कुच् (kuc-, “to bend, make curved”) less likely.

Pronunciation

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /kut͡ʃʰ/, [kut͡ʃʰ]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /ɡut͡ʃ/, [ɡut͡ʃʰ]

Noun

կուչ • (kučʻ)

1. found only in idioms with the meaning “huddling, compacting, squeezing”

   կուչ բերել, կուչ ածել ― kučʻ berel, kučʻ acel ― to squeeze; to suppress

   կուչ գալ ― kučʻ gal ― to huddle up, to roll up into a ball; to be ashamed

References

• “կուչ”, in Žamanakakicʻ hayocʻ lezvi bacʻatrakan baṙaran (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, 1969–1980
• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1913) “կուչ”, in Hayerēn gawaṙakan baṙaran (Ēminean azgagrakan žoġovacu; 9) (in Armenian), Tiflis: Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1963) “Stugabanutʻyunner”, in Patma-banasirakan handes‎ (in Armenian), number 4, Yerevan: Academy Press, page 92