𐫃𐫇𐫘𐫀𐫗

The origin is uncertain.

Ačaṙyan, who did not know about the attestation of the Parthian word, derived Persian گوسان‎ (gôsân) by contraction from Old Armenian գովասան (govasan, “praiser”). As an example of such a contraction he cited Persian توانم‎ (tavấnam, “I can”) → colloquial تونم‎ (túnam).

On the other hand, Asatryan proposes derivation from earlier *gōβ(a)sān (whence possibly Old Armenian գովասան (govasan)), contracted from *gōβ(a)sāhan (“praise-sayer, panegyrist”), from Old Iranian *gauba-sāhana-, the first part of which is inherited from Proto-Iranian *gáwbati (“to say; to say positively”), whereas *-sāhana is a secondary formation based on *sanhana- (“declaration”), from Proto-Iranian *ćánhati (“to declare”), perhaps influenced by *sāhana- (“showing, indication, teaching”), from Proto-Iranian *sāh- (“to teach, instruct”). For the inner-Parthian -ā̆ha- → *-ā- contraction Asatryan compares the parallel seen in the etymon of վան (van); see there.

𐫃𐫇𐫘𐫀𐫗 • (gōsān)

1. (Manichaean) gusan
   • 4th or 5th century, A Manichaean fragment

     cwʾgwn gwsʾn ky hsyngʾn šhrdʾrʾn ʿwd kwʾn hwnr wyfrʾsyd ʿwd wxd ʿywyc ny kryd

     čawāgōn gōsān kē hasēnagān šahrdārān ud kawān hunar wifrāsēd ud wxad ēwiž nē karēd

     Like a gusan, who proclaims the worthiness of kings and heroes of old and himself achieves nothing at all.

• Arabic: جَوْسَان‎ (jawsān, “Gypsy”)
• Classical Mandaic: [script needed] (gwsʾnʾ /gōsānā/)
• Old Armenian: գուսան (gusan)
  • Armenian: գուսան (gusan)
  • Old Georgian: მგოსანი (mgosani) (or borrowed directly)
    • Georgian: მგოსანი (mgosani)
• Persian: گوسان‎ (gôsân), کوسان‎ (kôsân) (or inherited from the Middle Persian cognate)

• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1979), “Haykakankʿ (Armeniaca)”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume IV, 2nd edition, Yerevan: University Press, pages 629–630
• Asatrjan, G. S. (2013), “Parfjanskoje gōsān [Parthian gōsān]”, in Toxtasʹjev S. R., Lurʹje P. B., editors, Commentationes Iranicae. Sbornik statej k 90-letiju Vladimira Aronoviča Livšica‎ (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Nestor-Istorija, →ISBN
• Bailey, H. W. (1934), “Iranica (II)”, in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society‎, issue 3, page 514b
• Durkin-Meisterernst, Desmond (2004) A Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian (Corpus Fontium Manichaeorum; 3.1), Turnhout: Brepols, page 168a
• von Stackelberg, R. (1894), “Lexicalisches aus ‘Wīs ō Rāmīn’”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎ (in German), volume 48, pages 490–497