кувака

Erzya

Etymology

Possibly from Proto-Finno-Ugric *kawka (“long”) (whence Finnish kauka- (“faraway, distant”), kauan (“for a long time”), Estonian kauge (“faraway, distant”), kaua (“for a long time”)), itself probably borrowed from a descendant of Proto-Indo-European *kewk-. However, this etymology is disputed due to phonetic reasons.

According to Keresztes, from Proto-Mordvinic *kuva- (+ *-ka ~ *-kə), inherited from Proto-Finno-Permic [Finno-Volgaic] *kokɜ (“big, whole; size”). Compare Finnish koko (“whole; size”), kookas (“bulky, sizable”), Eastern Mari кугу (kugu, “big”).

Adjective

кувака • (kuvaka)

1. long

   кувака милеть ― kuvaka miľeť ― long oars

Derived terms

• куватьс (kuvaťs, “for a long time”)

References

• B. A. Serebrennikov, R. N. Buzakova, M. V. Mosin (1993) “кувака”, in Эрзянь-рузонь валкс [Erzya-Russian dictionary], Moscow: Русский язык, →ISBN
• Keresztes, László (1986) Geschichte der mordwinischen Konsonantismus II. Etymologisches Belegmaterial‎^[1], Szeged: Studia Uralo-Altaica 26.
• Entry #255 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics.
• Entry #1328 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics.

Moksha

Adjective

кувака • (kuvaka)

1. long