ERZURUM

Traditionally Erzurum is presumed to be an Armenian name. The argument is a name of another presumably Armenian town of Ardzn nearby, the name of which is considered to be the root in 'Erzurum', mangled by the Arabs.

A name which is 'mangled by Arabs' is a good signal that the word does not have etymology. We heard such awkward explications in cases of Zaragoza and Lentegí, in particular. This enables us to look at the name from Kartvelian point of view.

First, we need to get rid of the Latin -um-ending. There are a lot of toponyms with such ending on Ptolemy's maps. Ukraine alone lists Leinum, Barsacum and Niossum to name just few. Having done so we are left with a typical Karvelian adjective 'erzuri' (ერზური). The Georgian dictionaries do not list it. But we have a wonder named Megrelian Language Dictionary by Otari Kajaia, where we can find a word ერზამა (erzama) in the meaning of 'ignition'. It has '-ам' as the Megrelian trademark adjective suffix which leaves us 'erzi'/'erza' as a root. With high dgree of probability this already lost root used to mean 'fire'. Correspondingly, 'erzuri' meant 'fiery', 'burning', or 'luminous', which excellently associates with a city lit in the night.

As to the Ardzn city, its name reads from Georgian perfectly well as well. Since 'ardzi' (არძი) accroding to Saba Orbeliani means 'coarse coloured cotton cloth', 'ardzni' would be the Ancient Georgian plural form of it.