երախայ

• երեխայ (erexay)

Borrowed from the Semitic etymon of Ancient Greek ῥακά (rhaká), ῥαχά (rhakhá), ῥαχᾶς (rhakhâs), Old Armenian ռակայ (ṙakay, “idiot, fool”): compare Aramaic רֵיקָא (rēqā, “worthless person; profane”), Classical Syriac ܪܝܩܐ (rēqā, “vain thing”), Hebrew רֵיק (rēq, “empty; vain; worthless”). The connection with ռակայ (ṙakay) was made already by Hiwnkʿearpēyēntean.[1] Basil describes Ancient Greek ῥακά (rhaká) as "a vernacular word of mild abuse used in the family circle".[2] For the sense development ‘fool’ → ‘child’ see խոխա (xoxa). Alternatively, the sense development is ‘worthless person’ → ‘profane person’ → ‘unbaptized person’ → ‘child’. For the alternation երախայ (eraxay) ~ երեխայ (erexay), compare Ancient Greek ῥαχά (rhakhá) ~ Aramaic רֵיקָא (rēqā), if we are not dealing with vowel assimilation within Armenian.

The initial ե- (e-) is a prothetic vowel added to words starting with ր- (r-) according to well-known phonotactic constraints of Armenian, as in եղբայր (ełbayr), երագ (erag), երակ (erak), երախ (erax), երասան (erasan) etc.

Doublet of ռակայ (ṙakay).

See also Արախա (Araxa).

երախայ • (eraxay)

1. (Christianity) unbaptized person; catechumen
2. newborn child; child that cannot yet speak

երախայ • (eraxay)

1. child- or simple-minded, silly

• սրիկայ (srikay)

• Armenian: երեխա (erexa), >? խոխա (xoxa)

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “երախայ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume II, Yerevan: University Press, page 36ab, compares Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (lsyk'), [Book Pahlavi needed] (lhyk'), 𐫡𐫍𐫏𐫃 (rhyg /⁠rahīg⁠/), Parthian 𐫡𐫍𐫏𐫃 (rhyg /⁠rahīg⁠/, “child; page, servant”), and because these cannot account for Armenian, assumes origin from a hypothetical Classical Syriac *raxā (but unaware of the above-quoted Semitic and Greek forms), from which both Armenian and Iranian are borrowed; however, the Iranian words are unrelated and rather belong under Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hrátʰas (“chariot”) (see Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 429)
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “երախայ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “երախայ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 219b, repeats Ačaṙean
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “երախայ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy