# Rainbow - Bow



## Rallino

Γεια σας - Hello everyone!

The word for rainbow in some languages, like English and French, contains the word bow.

English - Rain*bow*
French - *Arc*-en-ciel

In Turkish, the word for a bow is_* yay*_, but a rainbow is called: *Gökkuşağı *_lit.Skybelt_.

I wonder, which languages use the word "bow", which languages use a different word.

Thank you!


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## Agró

Spanish: *Arco *iris
Italian: *Arco*baleno
Catalan: *Arc *de Sant Martí, *Arc *iris.

Basque: Ostadar (Ost: Basque name for the god of heaven, roughly equivalent to Zeus; Adar: horn)


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## Geo.

Hi Rallino, 

In German, it's *Regenbogen*, and _literally rain + bow_.


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## ilocas2

In Czech rainbow is *duha* and it means only rainbow, nothing else.

In remote past this word meant also "stave" or "curved piece" but this meanings are forgotten and today it means only "rainbow".


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## rusita preciosa

In Russian it is радуга /raduga/. No one knows its origin; there are two main versions:
- the same root as *рад*ость /*rad*ost/ - happiness
- combination of *ра*й /ray/(heaven) + *дуга* /duga/(bow/curve) ~heavenly bow


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## Havfruen

Danish: 
rainbow - regnbue
rain - regn
bow - bue


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## Orlin

Bulgarian _дъга_ means both bow and rainbow. In Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian rainbow is _duga_ http://hjp.srce.hr/index.php?show=search_by_id&id=fF9vURg=&keyword=duga - I'm not sure if it has something to do with bow or not.


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## Lars H

Swedish, pretty much the same as in English, German and Danish: *Regn-båge*.

In Norse mythology we have the name "Bifrost" (Sw spelling), the bridge leading from Midgard (earth) to Asgard (heaven, home of the gods).
Bifrost (older Bäf-rast) could mean something like "the trembling road" or "bridge". 
Bifrost will fall when "Ragnarök" (the end of days) are upon us. More drama than one would think .


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## Selyd

In Ukrainian:
*райдуга *- Paradise+bow
*веселка, *sometimes* веселиця -* from Cheerful


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*: _sateenkaari_ (rain's bow/arc)

Declension: _sateenkaaren, sateenkaarta_


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## sound shift

The Dutch for "rainbow" is "regenboog". "Regen" = "rain"; "boog" = "bow". This is the same combination as that used by Swedish, Danish, German and English.


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## jazyk

We have a bow (arco) in Portuguese arco-íris.


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## Tjahzi

*Swedish* has _Regnbåge_ with the very same etymology.


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## apmoy70

Rallino said:


> Γεια σας - Hello everyone!


Γεια σου-merhaba


Rallino said:


> The word for rainbow in some languages, like English and French, contains the word bow.
> 
> English - Rain*bow*
> French - *Arc*-en-ciel
> 
> In Turkish, the word for a bow is_* yay*_, but a rainbow is called: *Gökkuşağı *_lit.Skybelt_.
> 
> I wonder, which languages use the word "bow", which languages use a different word.
> 
> Thank you!


In Greek:
«Ουράνιο τόξο»
U'ranio 'tokso, _both neuter_
lit. "sky/celestial bow"


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## Zsanna

Hello,
In Hungarian _szivárvány_ is not a compound word and there is no obvious trace of any "bows" in it. 

The same word is used in retina -> szivárvány hártya (=rainbow membrane).


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## niernier

The connotation of rainbow in Tagalog is very different. Rainbow is translated in Tagalog language as *bahaghari *which literally translates to "local skirt of the king". Bahag is a piece of cloth worn around the waist by males during the old times (more like a g-string if you ask me). It's usually plain colored. Maybe at that time, only the royalty can afford the colored one.

bahag = local skirt
hari = king


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## Orlin

apmoy70 said:


> Γεια σου-merhaba
> 
> In Greek:
> «Ουράνιο τόξο»
> U'ranio 'tokso, _both neuter_
> lit. "sky/celestial bow"


We sometimes do the same to avoid ambiguity or for emphasis: небесна дъга (sky/celestial bow).


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## origumi

Hebrew - same word for both: קשת _keshet_.

To disambiguate, we may say קשת בענן = bow in a cloud.


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## jeffnben

_bahaghari_ is the word in Filipino which is an actual word for it.


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## Forero

Zsanna said:


> Hello,
> In Hungarian _szivárvány_ is not a compound word and there is no obvious trace of any "bows" in it.
> 
> The same word is used in retina -> szivárvány hártya (=rainbow membrane).


Retina? Or iris?

The word _iris_ comes from an ancient Greek word (rainbow, iris of the eye, iris flower, etc.).


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## rusita preciosa

Interesting. In Russian *iris of the eye* is *радужная оболочка* /radujnaya obolotchka/, lit. “rainbow membrane”.

Similar to Spanish *iris *(iris of the eye) and *arco iris* (rainbow)


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## Alxmrphi

Adding to the North Germanic list, the again very similar _*Icelandic word *__*regn-bogi *_(rain-arch/bow).

Also:

*Welsh*: _enfys_
*Greenlandic*: _neriusaaq_ (which looks like it's from _neriu-_, the verbal stem for '*hope*', but I can't confirm that)


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## Maroseika

Selyd said:


> In Ukrainian:
> *райдуга *- Paradise+bow


The form райдуга is reckoned to be influenced by the folk etymology which resulted in deetymologization of the original радуга. http://litopys.org.ua/djvu/etymolog_slovnyk.htm

Another version explains it as relating to 'shining' (cf. _раёк _- iris of the eye and Latin _radiare _- to shine).

Yet another version derives it from the Ossetian language:
радуга < Ancient-Ossetian *ardunga < Persian *drunaka - bow (cf. modern Ossetian æрдын - bow).


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## Maroseika

*Kirghiz*:
көк желе - sky tether
асмандагы жаа - shining bow
жез кемпирдин көгөөнү - copper bridge (mouth?) of the mythological old woman
асан-үсөн - names of the twins of the 4th Caliph Ali (Hassan and Hussein)

*Chuvashian*
асамат кӗперӗ - sky bridge

*Kazakh*
кемпірқосақ - joined (?) bridge

*Tajik*
рангинкамон - coloured bow

*Tatar*
салават күпере - blessed bridge

*Shor*
қур - belt

*Veps*
jumalanbembel’ - holy (???)
sateenkaari - rain arc 
taivaankaari - sky arc


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## er targyn

Rallino said:


> Γεια σας - Hello everyone!
> 
> In Turkish, the word for a bow is_* yay*_, but a rainbow is called: *Gökkuşağı *_lit.Skybelt_.



Kuşak "the belt" may be a contamination with Turkic koşak, from koş- "to couple, bind". Compare Kazakh word kempir-qosaq "old woman-tether" and Kyrgyz kök ǯele, kün ǯele "sky/sun tether". Also Turkmen älemgoşar "world tether". In Mongolian it's *soloŋga, from Altaic root "to shine, blaze".


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## Maroseika

Ancient-Turcic stem is қo:r- 'to surround'.
қo:ra > kursaγ > koşak/qosaq/қосақ, etc.


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## er targyn

Your sources? қo:ra > kursaγ > koşak/qosaq/қосақ is phonetically impossible. *kor is belt, but as I said, it's contaminated in Turkish.


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## ThomasK

Maroseika said:


> *Kirghiz*:
> көк желе - sky tether
> асмандагы жаа - shining bow
> жез кемпирдин көгөөнү - copper bridge (mouth?) of the mythological old woman
> асан-үсөн - names of the twins of the 4th Caliph Ali (Hassan and Hussein)
> 
> *Chuvashian*
> асамат кӗперӗ - sky bridge
> 
> *Kazakh*
> кемпірқосақ - joined (?) bridge
> 
> *Tajik*
> рангинкамон - coloured bow
> 
> *Tatar*
> салават күпере - blessed bridge
> 
> *Shor*
> қур - belt
> 
> *Veps*
> jumalanbembel’ - holy (???)
> sateenkaari - rain arc
> taivaankaari - sky arc


These words (metaphors...) are very interesting! (Is Velps like Finnish btw? Andare the others Slavic ?)


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## Maroseika

ThomasK said:


> These words (metaphors...) are very interesting! (Is Velps like Finnish btw? Andare the others Slavic ?)



Veps (not Velps) is Finnish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veps_language
Others are Turcic.


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## Maroseika

er targyn said:


> Your sources? қo:ra > kursaγ > koşak/qosaq/қосақ is phonetically impossible. *kor is belt, but as I said, it's contaminated in Turkish.



My source is Sevortyan's etym. dict. 
Of course, I simplified the chain, and my ">" should not be understood literally. More details here: http://altaica.narod.ru/LIBRARY/edtl.htm


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## er targyn

I found there only qoşaq with meanings "lamentation, song"


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## sakvaka

Maroseika said:


> Veps (not Velps) is Finnish  *a Baltic-Finnic language and shares a lot of things with Finnish, but there's a clear difference between them *. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veps_language
> Others are Turcic.



Human rights' declaration, the beginning:

*Veps*. _Kaik mehed sünduba joudajin i  kohtaižin, ühtejiččin ičeze arvokahudes i oiktusiš. Heile om anttud mel’  i huiktusentund i heile tariž kožuda toine toiženke kut vel’l’kundad._
*Similar Finnish. *_Kaikki miehet syntyvät (joutavina?) ja (kohtaisina?), yhtäläisinä [itseinsä] arvoiltaan ja oikeuksiltaan. Heille on annettu mieli ja (häpeän?)tunto, ja heidän tarvitsee (koskea?) toinen toistaan kuten veljekset._
*Fluent Finnish*. _Kaikki ihmiset syntyvät vapaina ja tasavertaisina arvoltaan ja  oikeuksiltaan. Heille on annettu järki ja omatunto, ja heidän on  toimittava toisiaan kohtaan veljeyden hengessä._


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## Maroseika

Surely, I did not mean it was the same language as Finnish, but just of one of Finnic groups (Finnic and Finnish is one word in Russian).
My apologies for inaccuracy.


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## Maroseika

er targyn said:


> I found there only qoşaq with meanings "lamentation, song"


Look қo:рa-


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## er targyn

Why should I?


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## Maroseika

er targyn said:


> Why should I?


You asked me about my source, I sent you the link. The word we are discussuing is there in қo:рa- article.


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## er targyn

No, I don't discuss this word.


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## Maroseika

er targyn said:


> No, I don't discuss this word.


I was answering to your post: "Your sources? қo:ra > kursaγ > koşak/qosaq/қосақ is phonetically impossible".


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## er targyn

I found what you meant. Qur and qoşaq are different roots. Tukic languages confuse when it comes to rainbow.


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## Maroseika

er targyn said:


> I found what you meant. Qur and qoşaq are different roots. Tukic languages confuse when it comes to rainbow.



Please, check p. 152.
Origination from qora- was my wild guess, but about origination of the Turcic words meaning "belt, sash" from qur Sevortyan is writing quite definately and with a lot of examples.
Also he mentions rainbow, some examples from there:

Azerbaijani - гөй куршагы, гуршах
Gagauz - қушақ
Khakass - тигiр хуры

Also cf. Tuvinian кур - belt, sash.


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## francisgranada

Forero said:


> Retina? Or iris? ....


 
In Hungarian:

retina: _recehártya, retina_
iris: _szivárványhártya_


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## kenjoluma

In Korean : 무지개 (mu-ji-gay):  water-door
In Japanese にじ (ni-ji): Not very sure, but one theory is 霊物ぬし(a god of nature) is a source.


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## er targyn

EDAL thinks that Japanese word is cognate with Korean *nò’ɨr morning or evening dawn, red glow in the sky: MKor. nò’ɨr; Mod. nōl and Tungus *luŋur evening, dusk: Evk. luŋur.


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## mataripis

Tagalog: Rainbow= Balangaw,  Bow= Palaso


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## OneStroke

We use a completely different word: 彩虹 (caihong). Coincidentally, it rhymes with bow - 弓 (gong), although their etymologies don't seem to be connected.


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## Encolpius

Zsanna said:


> Hello,
> In Hungarian _szivárvány_ is not a compound word and there is no obvious trace of any "bows" in it...



Correct. The Hungarian word comes form the verb *szív [to suck]* and the suffix -vány...so, a thing that sucks water from earth...
the similar etymology exists in Udmurt [vujuiś i.e. water drinker] and in Venetian dialect arcumbè [Lat.: arcus+bibere]...


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## mataripis

i think the word "bow" in english rainbow is an expression of "wave" or layer.  In Tagalog , Rainbow can be 1.) Balangaw and 2.) Bahag hari.   The first one has word "ngaw" which is related to "Alingawngaw" (echo) or sound wave.


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## Grefsen

Havfruen said:


> Danish:
> rainbow - regnbue
> rain - regn
> bow - bue


It's the same in *Norwegian*:

rainbow - regnbue
rain - regn
bow - bue


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## ancalimon

In Turkic culture, it was thought that when the deity~angel~power "Umay Ana" came to Earth from Tengri ~ Asbań (heavens, curved endless sky covering the sky hanging to Heavens), she traveled through the Alkım ~ Alakuşak (rainbow). It's also thought that spirit horses, rams and camels (pura) run on this colorful road.

In Kazaks, the word is kempirkoşak ~ enekemkoşak.  The rainbow colored marbles which children play with are called enekem in Turkish. Probably a forgotten relationship.

My own guess is that the Turks identified rainbow with a belt (kuşak) because they thought that when a portal was opened between Heavens and Earth, this belt made it so that "the pants of the sky" did not come down crushing Earth. 

Another thing I know about this rainbow is that in at least Anatolian Turkish culture, it's thought that when it's raining and the rainbow is visible, wishes are more likely to come true since there is a connection between Heavens and Earth. It's also believed by some that spirits of some people come down to Earth spinning around themselves during rains and visible rainbow. I don't know about other Turkic cultures.


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## rayloom

The word for "rainbow" in Arabic is Qaws Quzah. 
Qaws meaning "bow", and Quzah being the name of an Ancient Arabian deity; he'd hang his bow on the clouds after shooting lightning bolts!


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## nimak

Rallino said:


> The word for rainbow in some languages, like English and French, contains the word bow.
> 
> I wonder, which languages use the word "bow", which languages use a different word.



In *Macedonian *there are 3 names for rainbow, and one of them has the word _bow_.

*божилак* (bózhilak) m. = lit. "God's bow"
*виножито* (vinózhito) n.
*ѕуница* (dzúnitsa) f.


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## Nizo

Esperanto: *ĉielarko *(_ĉielo_ sky + _arko_ bow)


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## Vukabular

Serbian:
*duga* f. "rainbow, long" >> *duga* "stave, arc" (wooden part of barrel) semantic because of bow shape
Italian *doga* "stave"
Romanian *doaga* "stave"
Dutch *duig* "stave"
Ancient Greek _δοχή_ (*dokhḗ*) "stave"...


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## ThomasK

Interesting to see this link between the (older) Dutch word "duig", a stave indeed of a barrel (in duigen vallen, to fall apart or to fail) and "bow"!!!


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## Welsh_Sion

Welsh: Usually, 'enfys' (also a girl's name, equivalent of 'Iris'). 

But also possible, 'bwa'r arch', 'bwa'r cyfamod', 'bwa'r Drindod', 'bwa enfys', 'bwa glaw', 'bwa'r glaw', 'bwa'r wrach', 'bwa'r hin, 'bwa'r wybren'.

Where 'bwa' = bow.

And, arch = (Noah's) Ark, cyfamod = covenant, Trindod = Trinity, enfys = iris, glaw = rain, gwrach = hag, hin = weather, gwybren = sky.


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