قفيز

Where it comes from

From Aramaic קְפִיזָא / ܩܦܝܙܐ (qəp̄īzā). It is a dry measure the oldest attestation of which is Demotic Egyptian kpḏ (“a standard measure of 100 ml, applicable to dry and liquid content”), later Coptic ϭⲁⲡⲉⲓϫⲉ (čapeije), and it is to be identified with Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (kpyc /⁠kabīz⁠/), Classical Persian کویز (kawīz), کویژ (kawīž /kaviž), Central Kurdish کەویژ (kewîj), کێوِژ (kêwij), Ancient Greek καπίθη (kapíthē) (in Xenophon’s Anabasis), dialectal Modern Greek καπίθιον (kapíthion), Parthian [script needed] (kpyš), Sogdian [script needed] (kpc), Bactrian καβσο (kabso), καβιζο (kabizo), Khwarezmian [script needed] (kpcyk), Old Armenian կապիճ (kapič), Mush Armenian կապեճ (kapeč), Hamshen Armenian կապճակ (kapčak), կապիծ (kapic), Old Georgian კაბიწი (ḳabic̣i), Laz კაპიწი (ǩap̌iǯi), Ossetian къабиц (k’abic), къӕбиц (k’æbic), Classical Mandaic ࡊࡀࡁࡉࡑࡀ (kabiṣa), Turkish gebiç, kapis, kebiç, kepiç, kepinç, kepis, gabiz, kepiz.

For speculated origin, compare Akkadian 𒆏𒁍 (/⁠kappu⁠/, “originally meaning “hand” from Proto-Semitic *kapp-, cupped hands; a bowl, a small serving container”), possibly with a later Iranian language suffix or from a yet to be attested addition of 𒅖 (/⁠-iš⁠/, “to be -like”), rendering a literal meaning “to be hand-like, to be like cupped hands”. Alternatively related to Urartian 𒅗𒉿 (ka-pi /⁠kapi⁠/, “a grain measure”), both it and the Akkadian being of no little frequency, or even Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“fassen”) or *(s)kep- (“to work with a sharp instrument”).