BEŞ, BEL, BILEK, ELIK/ EL VE İLIK KELIMELERININ ETIMOLOJIK VE ANLAMSAL BAĞLANTILARI

Abstract

This article examines the etymological origins and semantic connections between words such as beş, bilek, ilik, elik/ el and bel, which share similar meanings and forms in Turkish. The relationship between the Persian word penc and the Turkish word beş (five) is also evaluated, examining the connection between the number beş “five” and el “hand” and limbs within a historical and semantic framework. The findings reveal that anatomical concepts are linked to numbers and points of articulation in the Turkish word-derivative system. In this context, the association of numbers with limbs is a significant indicator contributing to the language’s construction of meaning, extending from the abstract to the concrete. The results shed light on the historical development of the language in terms of semantic expansion, morphological evolution, and sound changes in Turkish