argaz

Kabyle

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber *a-răgaz (“man, individual”).

Cognate with Tashelhit ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵣ (argaz), Central Atlas Tamazight ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵣ (argaz), Tarifit aryaz.

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Noun

argaz m (construct state wergaz, plural irgazen, plural construct state yergazen)

1. man

Senhaja de Srair

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /arɡaz/

Noun

argaz m (plural irgazen, Tifinagh spelling ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵣ)

1. Western Senhaja de Srair form of aryaz

Declension

Inflection of argaz

	singular	plural
free state	argaz	irgazen
annexed state	urgaz	irgazen

References

• Gutova, Evgeniya; Byler, Jonathan (2025), “Senhaja de Srair - English Dictionary”, in Webonary‎, retrieved 2025
• Gutova, Evgeniya (2021) Senhaja Berber Varieties: Phonology, Morphology, and Morphosyntax (Thesis)‎, Paris, France: HAL

Tarifit

Noun

argaz m (plural irgazen, feminine equivalent targazt, Tifinagh spelling ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵣ)

1. alternative form of aryaz

Declension

Inflection of argaz

	singular	plural
free state	argaz	irgazen
annexed state	wergaz	yirgazen

Tashelhit

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber *a-răgaz (“man, individual”), from Proto-Berber *r-g-z (“to walk, to march”). The original meaning would thus have been ("walker"). Compare with Arabic رَجُل (rajul, “man”).

Compare Ghomara and Kabyle argaz (“man”), Tarifit, Tunisian Berber, and Senhaja de Srair aryaz (“man”), Awjila arəgàz (“person”), Zenaga ärägäẕ̌ (“man, individual”), and yäẕ̌rägäẕ̌ (“to walk on feet”), Tayert argǝz (“to march”), Tamahaq rǝǧǝh (“to march”), Ghat erǧez (“to walk”), and Tashelhit zzigiz, zzugaz (“to walk, to go fast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /arɡaz/

Noun

argaz m (plural irgazn, Tifinagh spelling ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵣ, Arabic spelling آرڭاز)

1. man (adult male human)

   Synonym: arjli

   لّان يرڭازن غ تڭمّي. ― llan irgazn ġ tgmmi. ― the men are in the house.

2. husband

   آرڭاز ينو آيا. ― argaz inu aya. ― this is my husband.

3. adult

   تڭيت ارڭاز غيلا آ يوي نو. ― tgit argaz ġila a iwi-nu ― you're an adult now, son.

Inflection

Inflection of argaz

	singular	plural
free state	argaz	irgazn
annexed state	urgaz	irgazn

Derived terms

• argaz n dar uḍar (“messenger”)
• irgazn n id matsn (“stepfathers”)
• tirrugza (“virility, manhood”)

See also

• afgan (“human”)
• afrux (“boy”)
• amɣar (“chieftain”)
• tamɣart (“woman”)
• zzigiz (“to walk”)

References

• Stroomer, Harry (2025), Dictionnaire berbère tachelḥiyt-français — Tome 1 a—e (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 188/1) (in French), Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 382b
• Maarten Kossmann (1999), Essai sur la phonologie du proto-berbère (Grammatical analyses of african languages; 12) (in French), Leiden, The Netherlands: ‎Rüdiger Köppe, →ISBN, page 161
• Marijn van Putten (2019), “Introducción al estudio diacrónico del bereber”, in José Juan Batista Rodríguez, editor, Estudios sobre toponimia canaria prehispánica (in Spanish), Academia Canaria De La Lengua, →ISBN, page 300