Hebrew Etymology for the Ethnonym Kipchak and the Etymologies for Varachan and Turk

Abstract

The ‘hollow tree’ etymology for the ethnonym Kipchak is considered to be a folk etymology, and most of the scholars who treat of this subject have given into this mistake. In their search for alternative etymologies they proposed numerous terms, but they remain unconvincing suggestions. Here I show, convincingly I think, that Kipchak indeed means ‘hollow tree’. In Hebrew כַּף kaph means anything ‘hollow’, and עֵצָ֔ה etsah or etzah means a ‘tree’. Thus evidently the original form of the ethnonym Kipchak is the Hebrew term kaph tsah or kaph tzah, ‘hollow tree’. Oghuz Khagan named the child Kipchak, Hollow Tree, because his mother gave him birth in the hollow of a tree. This etymology indicates that Oghuz Khagan and his people not only spoke Hebrew, but were of Hebrew descent as well. As for the Hun capital, Varachan, I propose the Város + Hun, i.e. ‘Hun City’ etymology. Finally in the Djagfar Tarihi the Turkic road is also the Silk Road, Turgu-yuly, indicating the Dargo or Turgu, drága ‘dear, expensive, precious’ etymology for the ethnonym Turk.