LingoflyԲորբոքում, հետազոտութիւն, ցաւ: a noun made from a verb
Half of medical words are nouns made from verbs by one device: բորբոքիլ → բորբոքում (porpok'um) (inflammation). The suffix -ում makes a noun of action from the present stem: բուժել (puzhel) → բուժում (puzhum) (treatment). The meaning: the process or its result. For example: “Դեղերէն ետք բորբոքումը անցաւ” (tegheren yedk' porpok'umə antsav) — After the medicines the inflammation went away. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Half of medical words are nouns made from verbs by one device: բորբոքիլ → բորբոքում (porpok'um) (inflammation). The suffix -ում makes a noun of action from the present stem: բուժել (puzhel) → բուժում (puzhum) (treatment). The meaning: the process or its result.
No trap in the West. In Eastern Armenian, -ում is also a verb form and a "where" ending. Western has neither: "I ask" is կը (gə) հարցնեմ (hartsnem) (gə hartsnem). So a final -ում almost always marks a noun: հարցում (hartsum) — a survey, որոշում (voroshum) — a decision.
The suffix -ութիւն makes an abstract noun, more often from a quality: առողջ (arroghch) → առողջութիւն (arroghchut'yun) (health). -ում is what happens, -ութիւն is what state things are in.
Smaller devices. The suffix -անք/-ունք: մաղթել → մաղթանք (maght'ank') (a wish). The bare stem: ցաւիլ → ցաւ (tsav) (pain). If nothing fits, the -ը form works: ծխելը (dzkhelə) — smoking.
Table
| The verb | The noun | By which device | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| բորբոքիլ — to inflame | բորբոքում (porpok'um) | -ում | inflammation |
| ներարկել — to inject | ներարկում (nerargum) | -ում | an injection, a drip |
| զննել — to examine | զննում (znnum) | -ում | an examination |
| հարցնել (hartsnel) — to ask | հարցում (hartsum) | -ում | a survey |
| հետազոտել — to research | հետազոտութիւն | -ութիւն | research |
| ենթադրել (yent'atrel) — to suppose | ենթադրութիւն (yent'atrut'yun) | -ութիւն | an assumption |
| մաղթել — to wish | մաղթանք (maght'ank') | -անք | a wish |
| ցաւիլ — to ache | ցաւ (tsav) | no suffix | pain |
| ծխել (dzkhel) — to smoke | ծխելը (dzkhelə) | the -ը form | smoking |
By example
- Դեղերէն ետք բորբոքումը անցաւtegheren yedk' porpok'umə antsavAfter the medicines the inflammation went away
- dzkhelə vnasagar sovorut'yun e, yev t'oghulə tzhvar eSmoking is a harmful habit, and quitting is hard
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
a noun made from a verb: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Half of medical words are nouns made from verbs by one device: բորբոքիլ → բորբոքում (porpok'um) (inflammation). The suffix -ում makes a noun of action from the present stem: բուժել (puzhel) → բուժում (puzhum) (treatment). The meaning: the process or its result.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Դեղերէն ետք բորբոքումը անցաւ” (tegheren yedk' porpok'umə antsav) — After the medicines the inflammation went away. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.