հասբ

Borrowed from an Iranian descendant of Proto-Iranian *Hácwah (“horse”), probably Northern Kurdish hesp. Doublet of էշ (ēš), which is inherited.

The only attested form is the n-type instrumental singular հասբամբ (hasbamb) which presupposes a nominative singular *հասբն (*hasbn), but based on the etymology the nominative should rather be reconstructed as *հասբ (*hasb).

The usual reflex of Proto-Iranian *Hácwah in Armenian is ասպ- (asp-, “horse”), found exclusively in compounds which are wholly-borrowed from Iranian. These are listed in the Related terms section. The only independent usage of the word outside the compounds occurs in the late form հասբ (hasb) in the quoted passage by Karapet Sasnecʿi.

հասբ • (hasb)

1. cavalry, cavalry soldiers, horse

   Synonym: հեծելազօր (hecelazōr)

   • 12th century, Karapet Sasnecʿi, Nerbołean yałags varucʿ ew mahuan S. Vardapetin Mesrobay [A Panegyric on the Life and Death of St. Vardapet Mesrob] , (1897 edition, page 18):

     Որ և զմեծ վիրագն և զապականիչ գոռոզն Բարշամ, քառաբիւր գնդաւ և կիսաբիւր հասբամբ հալածական վարէր ընդ Կորդըւիս, և զհսկայասերն՝ առաթուր սատակէր․ և Ասորոց աստուած ընծայէր և հաւասարէր զհարաւայինսն ընդ հարկաւ։

     Or ew zmec viragn ew zapakaničʻ goṙozn Baršam, kʻaṙabiwr gndaw ew kisabiwr hasbamb halacakan varēr ənd Kordəwis, ew zhskayasern, aṙatʻur satakēr; ew Asorocʻ astuac əncayēr ew hawasarēr zharawayinsn ənd harkaw.

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971) “ասպ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume I, Yerevan: University Press, page 270ab
• Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 108
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (2010) “ասպ”, in Vahan Sargsyan, editor, Hayeren stugabanakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Asoghik, page 78a