Where does “Ախալցխա” come from?

Ախալցխա (Armenian) comes from Georgian ახალციხე, from Georgian ციხე, from Old Georgian ციხჱ, from Proto-Georgian-Zan *ʒ₁ixe- — fortress.

Ancestry of “Ախալցխա”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Georgianახალციხე—
2Georgianციხეfortress; jail, prison
3Old Georgianციხჱfortress
4Proto-Georgian-Zan*ʒ₁ixe-fortress
Every word from Proto-Georgian-Zan *ʒ₁ixe- →Every word from Old Georgian ციხჱ →Every word from Georgian ციხე →