yıldırım

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish يلدرم‎ (yıldırım, “thunderbolt”). Earliest attested in Kipchak records in 1312 as یولدوروم‎ (yuldurum, “spark”) together with the deriving stem [script needed] (yuldura-, “to shine”). The deriving stem is akin to Karakhanid [script needed] (yuldra-, “to shine”). Nişanyan thinks this verb is derived from Old Turkic [script needed] (yulduz, “star”) with rhotacism taking place.^[1] However there is no consensus on rhotacism in Turkic, so it may very well be the exact opposite and derived from Proto-Turkic *jul-duŕ (“star”) and not Old Turkic [script needed] (yulduz). Compare Chuvash ҫӑлтӑр (śăltăr, “star”). See also Turkish yıldız (“star”), yaldız (“gilt, glitter”), Ottoman Turkish يلدرامق‎ (yıldıramak, “to flash, gleam, glitter”).

Cognate with Azerbaijani ildırım (“lightning, thunder”), Turkmen ýyldyrym (“lightning, thunder”). Akin to Karakhanid [script needed] (yuldrık, “sparkling, shining”) and [script needed] (yuldramāk, “to shine”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɯɫ.dɯˈrɯm/

Noun

yıldırım (definite accusative yıldırımı, plural yıldırımlar)

1. (meteorology) thunderbolt

See also

• şimşek
• ışın

References