ězgarь

ěždžь; ěždžikъ; ězgarъ; ězgarь; ěskarъ Grammatical information: m. jo; m. o; m. o; m. jo; m. o Proto-Slavic meaning: `ruff'

Page in Trubačev: VI 60

Belorussian:

jadžgár `ruff' [m o]

Ukrainian:

jazgar (dial.) `ruff' [m o] \{1\}

Czech:

ježdík `ruff' [m o]

Polish:

jażdż (arch., N. dial.) `ruff' [m jo];

jaszcz (arch., N. dial.) `ruff' [m jo] \{2\};

jazgar (dial.) `ruff' [m o];

jazgier (dial.) `ruff' [m o];

jazgarz `ruff' [m jo];

jazgierz (arch.) `ruff' [m jo]

Old Polish:

jeżdżyk `ruff' [m o]

Kashubian:

i̯wžǯ, i̯wšč `ruff' [m jo]

Proto-Balto-Slavic reconstruction: egź-io-;; ē̆źg-io-

Lithuanian:

ežgỹs `ruff' [m io] 4;

egžlỹs (arch.) `ruff' [m io] 4;

ežegỹs (Pruss.) `ruff' [m io] 3^b \{3\}

Old Prussian:

assegis (EV) `perch'

Page in Pokorny: 292

Comments: It seems perfectly plausible to me that this etymon is cognate with *ežь `hedgehog'. Like its close relative the perch, the ruff has prickly fins (cf. MoHG Barsch `perch', Borste `bristle', Lith. ešerỹs `perch', which presumably derives from *h₂eḱ- `sharp'). The g of this word may be the well-known Baltic intrusive velar. In that case, archaic Lith. egžlỹs would have preserved the original constellation. The Slavic forms would have to be borrowings from Baltic, which in view of their distribution is not unlikely.

Notes:

\{1\} Other dialect forms are jaškar and jazgar. \{2\} In this case the term "northern dialects" probably refers to Kashubian. \{3\} The Standard Lithuanian word is pūgžlỹs.