Turkic words with mysterious etymologies

This page is here to collect words which do not seem to go back to Old Turkic and do not obviously come from a major contact language.

Kazakh words

• ayna - mirror
• awdar- - flip over, translate
• deŋgey - level
• qarmaq - fishing pole (cf. Kyrgyz qarma- below)
• şeşe - mother

Kyrgyz words

See also Kyrgyz words of Persian origin without Tajik cognates.

Nouns

• borbor - center
• topoz - yak
• sırğa - earring(s)
• söykö - earring(s)
• momposuy - candy
• juurqan - blanket
• döŋ - hill
• çaŋ - dust
• çaarçıq - fawn
• çöntök - pocket
• şakek - ring (jewelry)
• qoqo - Adam's apple
• şeyşep - sheet
• ibelik - rolling pin
  • ?<*ibe ?cf. Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz "bread"
• deŋgeel - level (n.)
• çöpürök - fabric
• toqoy - forest
• ayna - powder
• qılım - century
  • ?cf. qıl - do
• bağelek - cuff
  • cf. Turkic bağ- - tie (Kyrgyz boo, bayla-)
• çeke - forehead
• qaqıgül - dandelion
• bata - blessing

Adjectives and Adverbs

• çoŋ - big
• çooçun - unfamiliar (person)
• mıjıqıy (adj) - killjoy
• çaq - perfect-fitting
• qooz - pretty (for inanimate things)
  • cf. Mongolic ğo'a/ğoya - pretty
• qoqus(tan) - suddenly
• melüün - warm (air)
  • cf. Mongolic bülegen - warm (liquid)

Verbs

• mıjı(q)- - squeeze
• oodar- - flip over
• taarın- - be/get offended
• çurqa- - run
• qarma- - grab, hold
  • cf. Mongolic ğar - hand
  • cf. WMo qarma- - rake up, gather together

Proposed etymologies

Words on the above lists for which potential etymologies are discovered should be moved here.

• Ky. köynök, Kk. köylek, etc. "shirt" appears to be from Turkic köŋil "shirt" +AK
• Ky. kelesoo "crazy/stupid", related to Persian kal(l)a "head" + Turkic soo "healthy/sober" ?