իմանամ

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to take”) +‎ -ան- (-an-). Cognate with Latin emo (“to buy”). Sense development from "to take" to "to comprehend" is common. A derivation from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”) has been proposed as well, but this is unlikely, as the verb is conjugated as if -ան- (-an-) were a suffix, not part of the root.

Verb

իմանամ • (imanam)  (aorist indicative իմացայ)

1. to understand, to know; to conceive, to comprehend, to perceive

   իմանալ զօրութեամբ ― imanal zōrutʿeamb ― to understand (something omitted)

2. to feel
3. to think, to contemplate

   զանձին իմանալ բարի ― zanjin imanal bari ― to seek one's interest, to consult one's own happiness

4. to think (of), to devise, to invent, to contrive

   հնարս իմանալ, զելս/զելս իրաց իմանալ ― hnars imanal, zels/zels iracʿ imanal ― to find means, to exercise one's ingenuity, to invent

   գիտէ իմանալ զամենայն հնարս ― gitē imanal zamenayn hnars ― he knows how to attain his end, how to manage

5. to think, to consider, to believe

References

• Petrosean, H. Matatʿeay V. (1879), “իմանամ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʿ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1971–1979), “իմանամ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press
• Awetikʿean, G.; Siwrmēlean, X.; Awgerean, M. (1836–1837), “իմանամ”, in Nor baṙgirkʿ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• J̌ahukyan, Geworg (1987) Hayocʿ lezvi patmutʿyun; naxagrayin žamanakašrǰan [History of the Armenian language: The Pre-Literary Period] (in Armenian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 165