NOKHCHI

Look at the spears that are being broken over the Chechen "self-designation" Nokhchi on Internet.

Here you have "cheese", and "plow", and a bunch of proper names, and "people", and Nashkh... It is clear that the "self-designation" has no etymology.

That is because it may not be a self-designation. It may be a Georgian word. First of all, pay attention to the duality of "Nokhchi"/"Nakhchi". This is the Megrelian-Georgian duality of the prefix "no-"/"na-", well known to Georgians. And even more so to Megrelians. Then pay attention to Mr. Vagapov's version. He came closest to the truth, although he does not understand, however, from which side. Vagapov says, "Nakhchi" - "magnificent", "handsome", "dandy", "minted". But from what language?

From this: ნახჩი (nakhchi, Chanturia dictionary) – carved/sculpted/painted (image). That is, "cut out", "hewn", "drawn" (image).

The construction "nakhchi" is a trademark Georgian passive participle ending in "na-", added to the verb "khch", in which, of course, the vowel has dropped. Just as it dropped during the transition, for example, from "ksova" to "naksvi". What kind of verb "khch" is this? And here it is: ხეჩა (khecha) – hackling, splitting (to chop, to cut, to split). And the dropped vowel is "e". "Nakhchi", thus, is premorphemic - "cut out". The most artistic translation of the word “Nokhchi” would be “sharp” (profile).