ჭურის მნიშვნელობისათვის ქართულ ენაში

ანოტაცია

The purpose of this research is to determine the significance and etymology of the polysemantic word ch’uri, which is labeled as a dialectal word. Until the mid-18th century, ch’uri was one of the terms most widespread in Georgia for denoting a clay vessel used for wine. Its Georgian origin and antiquity are proven by the Megrelian equivalent –ch’kuji and the inscription on the edge of the ch’uri that was found during the excavations of the former city Nekresi dating back to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. Accordingly, ch’uri must have been the only ancient Georgian word for denoting vessels used for the process of fermentation and storage of wine, while the term kvevri has originated only later on. The earliest surviving documents that mention kvevri are dated to the 15th century. Correspondingly, ch’uri is not a localism that could have sprung up in the living conditions of a certain area or region, but rather it was part of the basic old Georgian lexicon and the literary language. This fact can serve as tangible proof of the 8000-year-old winemaking history in Georgia, evidenced by earthware vessels.