old man/grandfather → bear (Ursus) 18 realizations
ACCEPTED Realization 1
type Polysemy
language Even
lexeme каhan
meaning 1 old man
meaning 2 a die-hard bear
reference
comment Аникин 2000, 180
NEW Realization 2
type Borrowing
language 1 Even
language 2 Yakut
lexeme кееуа
meaning 1 grandfather
direction →
meaning 2 (dialect, euphemism) polar bear
reference Bagardynov 2020
comment DSJJ I, 114
NEW Realization 3
type Polysemy
language Even
lexeme абага
meaning 1 grandfather
direction →
meaning 2 bear (Ursus)
reference Robbek, Robbek 2005: 31, 32
comment Also  āбаӈя with both meanings
ACCEPTED Realization 4
type Polysemy
language Evenki
lexeme амāкā
meaning 1 grandfather, ancestor
direction —
meaning 2 bear
reference Vasilevič 1958: 26 SSTM: 1, 34 Boldyrev 2000: 1, 31
comment Also the Evenki эвенк. Авага ТМС 1,38
NEW Realization 5
type Polysemy
language Evenki
lexeme амаакаа
meaning 1 grandfather
direction →
meaning 2 bear (Ursus)
reference Vasilevič 1958
comment
ACCEPTED Realization 6
type Polysemy
language Khakas
lexeme apšyjaq
meaning 1 grandfather, old man
meaning 2 bear
reference
comment In the second meaning the word was borrowed into the Russian dialects of Siberia. ДТС 3, Аникин 2000, 73
ACCEPTED Realization 7
type Polysemy
language Kolyma (Southern) Yukaghir
lexeme хāхā
meaning 1 grandfather, old man
direction —
meaning 2 bear
reference
comment
ACCEPTED Realization 8
type Polysemy
language Mansi
lexeme ōpa
meaning 1 old man, grandfather
meaning 2 bear
reference
comment From the Turk. Aba
ACCEPTED Realization 9
type Polysemy
language Old Turkic
lexeme aba
meaning 1 father
meaning 2 bear
reference
comment ДТС
ACCEPTED Realization 10
type Polysemy
language Russian
lexeme дедушка (deduška)
meaning 1 grandfather, gaffer
direction —
meaning 2 bear эттака двое дедушки ходят
So there are two bears walking around
reference
comment In the Urals and Lower Indigirka idioms cf. also the Kolyma dialectal adjective дедушковатый 'having many bears' Аникин 2000, 180
ACCEPTED Realization 11
type Polysemy
language Russian
lexeme старик (starik)
meaning 1 old man
direction —
meaning 2 "a name given to a bear in third person"
reference
comment In the Kolyma idioms of Russian Аникин 2000, 508
NEW Realization 12
type Derivation
language Tundra Yukaghir
lexeme 1 хайчиэ
lexeme 2 хайчиэтэгэ
meaning 1 old man/grandfather
direction →
meaning 2 bear (Ursus)
reference Kurilov 2001
comment
ACCEPTED Realization 13
type Polysemy
language Tuvan
lexeme irej
meaning 1 grandfather, old man
meaning 2 bear
reference
comment In the Todzhin idiom of Tuvin. In Tuvin it has been borrowed from the Samoyedic languages (Mator. Irei 'bear' < Sam. *irэ- 'old man')
NEW Realization 14
type Polysemy
language Tuvan
lexeme ире, ирей
meaning 1 grandfather
direction →
meaning 2 bear (Ursus)
reference Suvandii 2016: 139
comment Todzhi dialect
ACCEPTED Realization 15
type Polysemy
language Udihe
lexeme мафа
meaning 1 old man
meaning 2 bear
reference
comment Кормушин 1998, 259
ACCEPTED Realization 16
type Polysemy
language Yakut
lexeme эhэ
meaning 1 old man, grandfather эhэм
my grandfather
direction →
meaning 2 bear үрүҥ эhэ
polar bear
reference
comment ЯРС 548.
ACCEPTED Realization 17
type Polysemy
language Yakut
lexeme оҕонньор
meaning 1 old man
direction →
meaning 2 (euphemism) bear
reference Bagardynov 2020
comment Аникин 2000, 508
NEW Realization 18
type Polysemy
language Yakut
lexeme кырдьаҕас
meaning 1 old, elderly; old man
direction →
meaning 2 (euphemism) bear
reference Bagardynov 2020
comment

© Anna A. Zalizniak et al. 2000-2025