շանթ

According to Petersson, Pokorny and J̌ahukyan, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwn̥ti-, from the root *ḱew- (“to shine; bright”), with such cognates as Sanskrit शोण (śoṇa, “red, purple”), Avestan 𐬯𐬎𐬭𐬆𐬨‎ (surəm, “early in the morning”), etc. This is rejected by Ačaṙyan and Olsen, who consider the origin of շանթ (šantʿ)/շանդ (šand) to be unknown.

Alternatively, according to Tērvišean and Bugge, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *skand- (“to shine, to glow; bright”) and cognate with Sanskrit चन्द् (cand-, “to shine, glitter”), चन्द्र (candrá), Latin candeo and Ancient Greek κάνδαρος (kándaros, “charcoal”). This is considered uncertain by Hübschmann and rejected by Ačaṙyan, who takes խանդ (xand) to be the reflex of this Indo-European root. Martirosyan remarks, that the connection between խանդ (xand) and շանթ (šantʿ)/շանդ (šand) should not be ruled out.

The word has also been compared to the Luwian theonym 𒀭𒊭𒀭𒋫 (^dša-an-ta /šanta/, “Šanta”) and the Hurrian theonym 𒀭𒊭𒀭𒋫𒇻𒊌𒃷 (^dša-an-ta-lu-uk-kan₂ /Šantaluggan/, literally “Shining or Brilliant Šanta”). Martirosyan notes that the Luwian theonym may be related to Hittite 𒊭𒀀𒀭𒋫 (ša-a-an-ta /šānt-/, “being furious, enraged”) and that Armenian may theoretically go back to Proto-Anatolian *šant- (“to be angry/furious”).

After a lengthy discussion Martirosyan concludes "Arm[enian] šantʿ, basically meaning ‘lightning-stroke, thunderbolt’ or ‘burning (by lightning-stroke)’ and referring also to devils, snakes and the like (originally, perhaps, to the mythological Thunder Dragon), may be compared with Luwian Šanta, the “brilliant” one, a god of war (armed with a bow) which can cause pestilence and in the Hellenistic period is equated with Herakles. It seems more likely that the theonym derives from the appellative. If the existence of Armenian loans in Anatolian languages proves acceptable, the Luwian theonym may be treated as borrowed from Arm[enian] šantʿ ‘lightning-stroke; heavenly fire’. This would imply that Arm[enian] šantʿ was deified by the Armenians in the 2nd and 1st millennia BC. In the period of the Iranian influx, the Armenian god *Šantʿ has been replaced by Vahagn which subsequently, exactly like Luwian Šanta, was identified with Herakles. The appellative šantʿ itself may be of P[roto-]I[ndo-]E[uropean] origin, although the etymological details are not entirely clear."

• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1977), “շանթ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), volume III, 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 494ab
• Awetikʿean, G.; Siwrmēlean, X.; Awgerean, M. (1836–1837), “շանթ”, in Nor baṙgirkʿ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Petrosean, H. Matatʿeay V. (1879), “շանթ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Bugge, Sophus (1893), “Beiträge zur etymologischen Erläuterung der armenischen Sprache”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung (in German), volume 32, page 57
• Eremia Mełrecʿi (1698), “շանթ”, in Baṙgirkʿ hayocʿ [Armenian Dictionary] (in Armenian), Livorno: Sargis Evdokiacʿi Sahetʿči Press, page 243
• Tērvišean, Serovbē (1885) Hndewropakan naxalezu [The Proto-Indo-European Language] (in Armenian), Constantinople: Nšan K. Pērpērean, page 111
• Dervischjan, P. Seraphin (1877) Armeniaca I: Das Altarmenische (in German), Vienna: Mekhitarist Press, page 29
• Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 479
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1987) Hayocʿ lezvi patmutʿyun; naxagrayin žamanakašrǰan [History of the Armenian language: The Pre-Literary Period]‎ (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 132
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010), “շանթ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 581a
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2010), “šant’”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden, Boston: Brill, pages 513–515
• Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 944
• Pokorny, Julius (1959), “²k̂eu-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 594