# Yavrimu



## Volcano

*In Turkish we say yavrum, so yours is originally a Turkish word or it is yavri mou, if then yavri is little in Greek too?*


----------



## ireney

Yavri (γιαβρί) does indeed come from "yavrum". "Yavri mou" (γιαβρί μου) means "my little one" used as a term of endearment, "my sweet one".


----------



## shawnee

I've heard 'γιαβριμ' used by Pontic Greeks.


----------



## ireney

"Γιαβρίμ" is actually "γιαβρί μου" (γιαβρί μ')


----------



## winegrower

I always thought that "γιαβρί" in Greek (mostly used-as pointed out- by people of Pontic origin) is a new-born bird or animal (νεογνό ζώων ή πτηνών) and this site agrees with me. So I'd like to ask Volcano if it means also little bird in Turkish.


----------



## Volcano

*Yavru means little/baby.If you say yavru kuş, it means little/baby bird that has been born newly.*


----------



## shawnee

Interesting, Volcano. I thought 'maksum' (sp?) meant little baby.


----------



## Volcano

*I have never heard of it, shawnee.*


----------



## stavris

Each time I was visiting my great grand-mother she welcomed me saying in enthusiasm: "yavriiim!" and gave me a hug. She came from Smyrni to Crete in 1922 and she didn't stop using this expression (along with many other Turkish-originated words) until the day she left us in 1998. I still regret it for not keeping notes from these days but I was only 16 when she died. Anyhow, I'm just posting it to add to the conversation that it was not only used by Pontic Greeks.


----------



## rasit.fidan

shawnee said:


> Interesting, Volcano. I thought 'maksum' (sp?) meant little baby.


Indeed, In old Anatolian Turkish Dialect It means baby.
@Volcano  Maksum ,Mahsum ,Masum these are all versions in different dialects of Turkish that means sinless & yes It may refer to baby too.


----------



## sotos

I suppose "yavri" doesn't have any relation with Gr. "gavros" (the small fish), does it? I know it's a bit funny, but compare with the Gr. "γαβριάς", which I believe is medieval greek.


----------



## ioanell

sotos said:


> I suppose "yavri" doesn't have any relation with Gr. "gavros" (the small fish), does it? I know it's a bit funny, but compare with the Gr. "γαβριάς", which I believe is medieval greek.


The M. Greek “γιαβρί” surely derives from Turkish “yavru” with the meaning “little baby”, as Volcano notes. In older times, “γιαβρί” in Greek used to mean “a newly-born bird, especially dove”, whereas in MG, apart from its -especially folksy or dialectal- usage as “γιαβρί μου”, meaning “μωρό μου, αγάπη μου [=my baby, my love]”, is also used in a slangy way to describe a very beautiful young girl.

“gavros” derives from AG ἔγγραυλις > *εγγραύλος > *γγραύλος > *γραύλος > [following a transposition] *γλαύρος > [following a silencing of λ] γαύρος (=the small fish “anchovy”).

“γαβριάς” [dated, “a smart and vivid gamin”] comes from the proper name Γαβριάς, which is the rendition in MG of the French proper name Gavroche, a child hero of V. Hugo’s novel Les Miserables.


----------



## sotos

ioanell said:


> “γαβριάς” [dated, “a smart and vivid gamin”] comes from the proper name Γαβριάς, which is the rendition in MG of the French proper name Gavroche, a child hero of V. Hugo’s novel Les Miserables.


Are you saying that a fictional name from Hugo became a New Greek surname? I believe Γαβριάς (name) is variant of the Medieval Gr. Γαβράς.


----------



## ioanell

sotos said:


> Are you saying that a fictional name from Hugo became a New Greek surname?


I believe you surely misunderstood it. No, I ‘m not saying that. I ‘m not saying and I didn’t say that the fictional name Γαβριάς became a New Greek surname, though it seems possible. Γαβριάς is just _a first name_ inside the Greek translation of Hugo’s novel “Les Miserables” and it was the first Greek translator of Hugo’s novel (the same who translated “Les Miserables” as “Οι Άθλιοι”) who rendered as *Γαβριάς* the name *Gavroche* of the smart and carefree gamin who was killed in the street barricades during the 1832 uprising in Paris. Following the novel’s success, the word γαβριάς entered the everyday language as a common noun meaning the smart, vivid and carefree gamin (already dated). And all these are not said by me, but by the Babiniotis’ Dictionary of the Modern (New) Greek Language, the Triantaphyllides’ Dictionary of the Common Modern (New) Greek, the Papyrus-Larousse Encyclopaedic Dictionary, the Βικιλεξικό, etc, etc, etc.



sotos said:


> I believe Γαβριάς (name) is variant of the Medieval Gr. Γαβράς.


Of course, one may believe whatever s/he thinks is correct; however, there’s no evidence that Γαβριάς is a variant of the surname of the aristocratic Byzantine family of Γαβράδες. Anyway, according to Κ. Άμαντος, the well-respected Byzantinist, the surname Γαβράς perhaps derives from the name Γαβριήλ. If you are aware of any other reliable sources giving more details on this matter, it would be useful that they be cited.

.


----------



## sotos

ioanell said:


> Of course, one may believe whatever s/he thinks is correct; however, there’s no evidence that Γαβριάς is a variant of the surname of the aristocratic Byzantine family of Γαβράδες. Anyway, according to Κ. Άμαντος, the well-respected Byzantinist, the surname Γαβράς perhaps derives from the name Γαβριήλ. If you are aware of any other reliable sources giving more details on this matter, it would be useful that they be cited.
> 
> .


Certainly, but given that this forum is not a place for scientific publications, and that I may have a small percentage of Amantos' command of Greek language, I expressed the above opinion, having in mind similar cases like Ladas/Ladias, Krasas/Krasias, Kastanas/Kastanias etc.


----------



## ioanell

sotos said:


> given that this forum is not a place for scientific publications, and that I may have a small percentage of Amantos' command of Greek language, I expressed the above opinion


And you did very well. I didn’t blame you for having any opinion, I just invited you to cite any other useful sources you might have in mind in relation to this matter. Of course, this forum -as any other in WR- is not a place for scientific publications (and I didn’t upload one), but this doesn’t mean that one -either me or you or any other poster- should get offended if some other posters refer to well-respected authors, scientific titles or links which can make the correction of a wrong opinion or belief easier; besides, this is, I believe, the purpose of the discussions within the forums, isn’t it; otherwise, mistaken beliefs/opinions will remain mistaken, is this the purpose of a discussion? Anyway, you are welcome to correct any opinion/post of mine, provided the correction, in order to be well-grounded, isn’t just a personal opinion, but refers to an author/scientific work/link outside the forum.


----------

