This dictionary offers a complete compilation and a historical-comparative reflection of the hereditary lexis of the Kartvelian (South Caucasian) language family. With this significantly enlarged (e.g. more than a thousand new etymologies) and revised successor of Surab Sardsheweladse's and Heinz Fähnrich's earlier dictionary (Brill, 1995) the author here represents the latest stage of etymological research. The dictionary contains a wealth of new lexical entries, corrections of earlier attempts and new reconstructions. The introduction provides a survey of general data of the four Kartvelian languages (Georgian, Mingrelian, Laz, Svan), characterizes the historical-comparative research in short and provides a detailed description of the system of regular phoneme correspondences in its newest form. The main part presents the Kartvelian lexis in separate entries. The reconstructed forms of the root- and affix morphemes are listed in alphabetical order of the Georgian script followed by instances of the Kartvelian languages. Each entry covers the phonological development of the lexical item from its original form to its present state and is amply supplemented by references.

Heinz Fähnrich, Ph.D. (1970) in Caucasian languages, University of Tbilisi, was Professor of Caucasian Philology at Jena University. His publications cover Georgian, Kartvelian and other Caucasian languages.