ܪܳܐܙܳܐ rʾzʾ, rzʾ rāzā 1. mystery, secret; 2. mystical signification; 3. type, symbol, sign; 4. sacrament; 5. consecration of a priest
Allotrope: ܐܪܙܐ ʾrzʾ. Derivatives: ܪܵܐܙܵܢܵܐܝܼܬ rʾznʾyt rāzānāīṯ symbolically; ܪܵܐܙܵܢܘܼܬܵܐ rʾznwtʾ rāzānūṯā mystical meaning, sense; ܐܹܬܪܲܝܙܲܢ ʾtryzn eṯrayzan, ܐܹܬܪܲܙܲܢ ʾtrzn eṯrazan to secretly settle, confabulate; ܪܵܐܙܵܢܵܝܵܐ rʾznyʾ rāzānāyā mystical, sacramental; symbolic; ܪܵܙܵܢܵܝܘܼܬܵܐ rʾznywtʾ rāzānāyūṯā secret; ܪܙ rz raz 1. to pry into secrets; 2. to secretly settle; 3. to speak symbolically; Etpe. to conspire; Pa. to signify, to know a secret; Etpa. to be initiated into mysteries; ܐܲܪܹܙ ʾrz arez 1. to secretly relate; 2. to initiate into mysteries; 3. to consign to script; to make a sign. Derivatives from ʾrz: ܡܲܪܙܵܐ mʾrzʾ marzā initiated; ܡܲܐܪܙܵܢܘܼܬܵܐ mʾrznwtʾ marzānūṯā 1. μυσταγωγή; 2. consecration; 3. mystery; Etpa. 1. to be initiated; 2. to be beckoned; 3. secretly informed; ܡܹܬܲܪܙܵܢܘܼܬܵܐ mtʾrznwtʾ meṯarzānūṯā mystical consecration, initiation
OP *rāza- (Median; see Hinz 1975, 203); cf. Av. razah- solitude (AirWb 1514); MP rāz [lʾc] secret, mystery (CPD 71; Nyberg 169); ManMP and ManParth. rʾz /rāz/ secret, mystery (Durkin-Meisterernst 2004, 294); Arm. LW eraz a dream (Hübschmann AG 147, no. 213 holds that this word, on account of its meaning, cannot be compared with the Ir. words here examined); NP rāz secret, mystery (Steingass 561 f.; Horn 134). — Borrowed by all the Aram. dialects: Bibl. Aram. rz (Dn. 4: 6 etc.; cf. Henning apud Rosenthal 1968, 59); Talm. Aram. rz, rzʾ secret, mystery (Telegdi 254, 125); Md. rāz (← MIr. *rāz, according to Widengren 1960, 100, who points out that the Ir. word, being already attested in Off. Aram., is a very old loanword in Aramaic, but it is uncertain whether it had already been borrowed in the Achaemenid period. As to the Md. LW, cf. also Nöldeke MG xxxi and Drower – Macuch 1963, 420). On the Syr. word see also Greenfield 1987, 257; Shaked 1987, 259; Mancini 1995, 82. Syr. ʾrzʾ (LS 47a) is vocalized as rāzā, the first aleph being marked with the linea occultans (see § 11.4). Telegdi (254, 125) explains Syr. ʾrzʾ as a historical writing corresponding to the pronunciation rāzā, but he adds that the spelling ʾrzʾ testifies that in older times the word was pronounced ərāzā, representing Ir. *ərāz: Telegdi argues that in this position the prothetic vowel may only be an Iranian feature, given that the Aramaic varieties develop a prothetic vowel only before initial plosive clusters (for some rare traces of prothetic vowel before initial trill in Middle Iranian vowels see Telegdi, cit.; further examples of initial aleph in Syriac words borrowed from Iranian in § 11.4). However, in my opinion it is not sure that the Ir. pronunciation *ərāz would have existed and it is not excluded that we are dealing here with a Syriac phenomenon: in fact, Nöldeke 1898 § 51 informs that in ancient Syr. mss. an aleph is frequently added also to word beginning with r-, e.g. ʾrḥymʾ for rḥymʾ "beloved" ● rʾzʾ, rzʾ mystery, secret Gn 49, 6; Dn 2, 19; Mt 13, 11; MP 8,7; b-rāz secretly Jul 150, 13; mystical signification ES 1 passim; type Can. Joh. b. Curs. 26, 11; ER 5, 13; Nis 29, 32; 46, 31; 49, 110; sacrament Rabb 231, 8; Philox. in Steph b. °ud 30, 2; MiS 472 c 27; Joh Eph 129, 2; Rie 118, 16; Bh LSt 117, 1; BO 1, 332a; consecration of a priest Einl. ψ 27, 4; rʾznʾyt ES 1, 380A; JS in MS 1, 66, 254; Bh LSt 83, 3; rʾznwtʾ JS in MS 1, 53 v. 234; ʾtryzn, ʾtrzn to settle secretly Th M Joh 295, 10; to confabulate secretly Jul 99, 26; Ming 1, 34*, 4; ON 30, 8; rʾznyʾ mystical BO 2, 479; symbolic ES 1, 131D; Za Rh 21, 36 = PO 2, 82, 5; Kays 27, 23; rʾznywtʾ ES 1, 130E; rz to pry into secrets St Sin 4, 4, 14; to settle secretly Bh gr 1, 9), 13; to speak symbolically Dion b° ev 377, 12; Etpe. to conspire am 1, 30, 18; Guidi chr 7, 11; ON 30, 19; to be signified Syn 178, 9; BO 3, 1, 356bu; Eb Mai 10, 330, 20; Pa. to signify Narsai 1, 271, 6; Eb. Mai 10, 271, 15; to know a secret Eb Par 76u; Etpa. ON 30, 20; ʾrz to relate secretly Bh chr 310, 2; to initiate into mysteries Bh gr 1, 97, 13; to consign to script am 3, 377, 2; to make a sign ES 2, 121C; BO 2, 163, 2; Bh ad Mt 18, 24; mʾrzʾ Rie 91, 4; mʾrznwtʾ μυσταγωγή am 5, 349, 9; consecration (of a priest) Einl. ψ 27, 6; mystery Za Rh 21, 20 = PO 2, 80, 13; Ath 34, 16; Etpa. to be initiated Nm 25, 3; Hex Bh, PO 3, 72, 7; 4, 14, 12; to be beckoned ES 2, 122A; secretly informed Bh chr 199, 10; BO 3, 2, 110; mtʾrznwtʾ Bh ce 1, 331, 16; Bh chr 40, 15 ◆ LS 722b–723a; cf. LS 47a; PS Comp. 536; Duval index pers. 218