Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The Old Armenian form is reconstructable as *մգլամանդի ‎(*mglamandi). Martirosyan proposes derivation from *մգլ- ‎(*mgl-, “mould”) (see մգլել ‎(mglel)) + -ա- ‎(-a-) + *մանդի ‎(*mandi, “yarn or web”), probably from մանեմ ‎(manem, “to spin”) + -դի ‎(-di). The spider-web is taken to be, then, a mould-like yarn/web. The Karabakh forms may be regarded as folk-etymological reshaping as ‘kerchief of a mouse’, from մոկնը ‎(moknə, “mouse”) (Old Armenian մուկն ‎(mukn)) + մանդիլ ‎(mandil, “kerchief”).