Dutch houting, Danish helt ‘Coregonus ssp.’

This short etymological note presents the North Germanic cognates of the ichthyonym houting ‘Coregonus oxyrinchus’, which in the Dutch etymological literature on the word have remained unnoticed. It is argued on the basis of Danish helt and related forms that the Proto-(Northwest-)Germanic reconstruction of this word can be set to *halti-.

Just an Etymological Note: The Case of Megrelian aӡmax-i, azmax-i ‘puddle, pool, pond’

It is a well-known fact that the stage of etymological research forms a quite slippery floor in particular when dealing with possible loans from tongues beyond the domain of one’s specialization. The present article is concerned with a case where a narrow, i.e. an internal caucasological view on the etymology of a word delivers already a quite plausible and convincing result, which, however, in a wider areal framing, offering a serious alternative, appears to be untenable. This alternative, definitely a preferable view, focusing on the word’s Turkish origin, will be introduced through a thorough discussion highlighting many aspects relevant for robust etymological research. The term in question is, of course, TURKISH azmak ‘marshland, swamp’.