ОКУНЬ

Here is a chain of words from a Georgian dictionary, demonstrating that the suffix "-un" is a significant word-forming element in Kartvelian languages: პარტყუნი, პლაკუნი, პრაკუინი, პუტუნი, ჟაპუნი, ჟღარუნი, ჟრუნი... And so on. Most often, this suffix is used to form verbal nouns, but at least one word in this list—ჟრუნი—refers to a bird known as the mountain turkey.

This leads us to a groundbreaking interpretation of the word "okun" (perch). If "-un" is indeed a suffix, then the root must be "oka."

This word appears in Ariane Chanturia’s dictionary as "ოყა", meaning an ancient unit of weight—1,200 grams. Interestingly, the average weight of a good perch is precisely 1,200 grams, providing us with a remarkably precise Georgian etymology for the Ukrainian-Russian name of this popular fish.

In English, there is a similar word—"pounder"—used to describe objects weighing one pound. Likewise, the term "okuni" appears to have been used for objects weighing "oku", such as "okun" (perch).