արեգակն

From արեգ (areg, “sun”) +‎ ակն (akn, “eye”), literally “the eye of the sun”. According to the philologist Martin Litchfield West, it is possible that the term reflects a common motif throughout Indo-European cultures in which the Sun is described as observing or spying upon the world. Specifically within Old Armenian culture, the eyes of the mythical character Vahagn are described as "little Suns."^[1] For other Indo-European comparisons, consider the Roman author Macrobius, who writes that—in antiquity—people referred to the Sun as "Iovis oculus" ("the eye of Jupiter").^[1][2] Moreover, the term has been compared to Old Irish súil (“eye”), from Proto-Celtic *sāwūl (“Sun”).^[3]

արեգակն • (aregakn)

1. sun

In finest Old Armenian արեւ (arew) meant the light of the sun, while արեգակն (aregakn) was used for the star itself.

• արեւ (arew)

• Armenian: արեգակ (aregak)

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979), “արեգ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press
• Awetikʻean, G.; Siwrmēlean, X.; Awgerean, M. (1836–1837), “արեգակն”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy