Բորբոքում, հետազոտութիւն, ցավ: a noun made from a verb
Half of medical words are a noun made from a verb by one device: porpok'vel → porpok'um. The suffix -ում makes a noun of action from the present stem: puzheł → puzhum (treatment). The meaning: the process or its result. For example: “Դեղերից հետո բորբոքումն անցավ” — 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 a noun made from a verb by one device: porpok'vel → porpok'um. The suffix -ում (-um) makes a noun of action from the present stem: puzheł → puzhum (treatment). The meaning: the process or its result.
The trap. The ending -ում appears here in three roles. Hartsum — a noun; kə hartsnem — a verb form; senyakum — the case of place. Only the neighbourhood tells them apart: before em/es/e it is a verb. With the article -ը and after an adjective — a noun; in the "where" slot — the case.
The suffix -ութիւն makes an abstract noun. It clings to a quality: arroghch → arroghchut'yun. The difference from -ում: -ում is what happens, -ութիւն is what kind of state it is.
Smaller devices. The suffix -անք/-ունք: maghtheł → maghthank' (a wish); urrchel → urrts'k' (a tumour). And the bare stem: tsaveł → tsav (pain).
Table
| The verb | The noun | By which device | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| բորբոքվել — to inflame | բորբոքում | -ում | inflammation |
| ներարկել — to inject | ներարկում | -ում | an injection, a drip |
| զննել — to examine | զննում | -ում | an examination |
| հարցնել — to ask | հարցում | -ում | a survey |
| հետազոտել — to research | հետազոտութիւն | -ութիւն | research |
| ենթադրել — to suppose | ենթադրութիւն | -ութիւն | an assumption |
| մաղթել — to wish | մաղթանք | -անք | a wish |
| ցավել — to ache | ցավ | no suffix | pain |
| ծխել — to smoke | ծխելը | the -ը form | smoking |
By example
- Դեղերից հետո բորբոքումն անցավtegherits hedo porpok'umn antsavAfter the medicines the inflammation went away
- Հարցումը ցույց տուեց, որ շատերը հարց չ'տանhartsumə tsuyts duets, vor shaderə harts ch'danThe survey showed that many ask no questions
- Ծխելը վնասակար սովորութիւն է, եւ թողնելը դժուար էdzkhelə vnasagar sovorut'yun e, yev t'oghnelə tzhuar 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 a noun made from a verb by one device: porpok'vel → porpok'um. The suffix -ում makes a noun of action from the present stem: puzheł → puzhum (treatment). The meaning: the process or its result.
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Դեղերից հետո բորբոքումն անցավ” (tegherits hedo porpok'umn 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.