Clauson (1972)
An etimological dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish
p. 775
D ne:çe:
Equative f. of ne:; properly an Interrog. Pron. ‘how many?’, but with Indefinite and Relative connotations in some contexts, see v. G. ATG, paras. 195 etc.; sometimes declined as a N. S.i.a.m.l.g. except NE(?); but note that ‘how many?’ is neçe in SW Az., nice in Osm., and that in both languages nece means ‘in what language?’ Neşe ‘why? how?’ etc. which occurs in some medieval and modern languages seems to be not a Sec. f. of this word but a crasis of ne işe fr. 2 i:ş. Türkü viii ff. Man. neçe yügürür erti ança ‘the more he ran, the more’ (he vomited) M I 7, 12-13; phr. like beş teŋrig . . . neçe sıdımız bertdimiz erser ‘inasmuch as (or to the extent that) we have injured and hurt the five gods’ Chuas. 51-2 are common in this text: Uyğ. viii ff. Man.-A neçe otaçı otın birle kelser ‘however many physicians come with their remedies’ M I 15, 6-7; neçeke tegi ‘to the extent that’ (men and women fail to partake of the strength of the five gods) do. 16, 16: Man. neçe . . . işler küdüğler erser ‘however many . . . undertakings there may be’ TT II 16, 41-5: Bud. neçe . . . bar erser ‘however many . . . there may be’ TT IV 16, 62; VIII H.10 (ne:çe:); Suv. 530, 2 etc.—Sanskrit (let a man strive) tāvat yāvad arthasya niṣpatti ‘so much as will achieve his purpose’ ança:ka tegi ne:çe:ke: tegi asığnıŋ bütmeki bolsar (p- . . . p-) TT VIII E.44; a.o. do. 45—neçe teglig ‘like what?’ (Interrog.) U III 73, 2; ‘how!’ (exclamatory) TT X 345—neçede ken temin öglenip ‘after some time he completely recovered consciousness’ Suv. 619, 18-19; neçede ölser ‘as soon as he dies’ U III 43, 19; a.o. do. 80, 3: Civ. bu yerke neçe uruğ batsar ‘whatever quantity of seed is planted in this land’ USp. 28, 5: Xak. xi neçe: a Particle (ḥarf) meaning kam fi’l-‘adad ‘how many?’; hence one says neçe: yarma:k berdiŋ ‘how many dirhams did you give?’; wa yakūnu ayḍa(n) istifhāma(n) ‘and it is also Interrogative’ (sic) Kaş. III 220; similar o.o. I 49 (1 e:n); III 157 (sa:n)—avçı: neçe: a:l bilse: adığ ança: yo:l bili:r ‘however many tricks the hunter knows the bear knows as many ways out’ I 63, 13; a.o. I 332, 12—neçe: yitig biçe:k erse: ‘however sharp a knife is’ I 384, 24; o.o. I 458, 13; III 38, 20 (neçe: me:): KB neçe ‘however much, or many’, usually w. Conditional, is common 23, 114, 347, 736, etc.; neçe me same meaning 918, etc.; sometimes almost ‘whenever’, e.g. 247: xiii(?) At. neçe is common, usually w. Conditional ‘however much’; ‘how much?’ 180; ‘why?’ 181; neçe me ‘however much’ 38, 174; Tef. neçe ‘how many?; however much’; neçe me ‘however much’; neçe kim bardı erse ‘whoever (or however many?) went’; bir neçe ‘a few’ 229; (neşe ‘why?’ 230): xiv Muh. kam istifhāmiya neçe: Mel. 17, 6; Rif. 95; (li-mā ‘why?’ neşe: 43, 7 (only)): Çağ. xv ff. (neşe nice in the sense of ‘because’ (gird) Vel. 393); neçe (spelt) çih qadr wa har çand ‘how much?; however much’ (quotn.); neçe (spelt) çand tā ‘how many times?’ (quotn.) San. 322v. 15: Xwar. xiii neçe (neşe ‘how?’) ‘Ali 17; bir neçe ‘some’ do. 54: xiii(?) bir neçe ‘some’ Oğ. 153: xiv neçe ‘how many?; however many’ Qutb 114; MN 44, etc.; neçe me kim muhimm ‘however important’ Nahc. 241, 2; (neşe ‘why?’ do. 237, 3-8; 238, 6 etc.): Kom. xiv ‘how much?’ neçe CCI; neçe me ‘however much’; ança . . . neçe ‘so much . . . as’ CCG; Gr. 169 (quotns.): Kıp. xiii kam neçe: (-c-) Hou. 50, 15; 55, 8 ff.; bi-kam ‘for how much?’ neçe:ye: do. 55, 13 ff.: xiv neçe: (‘with -ç-’) kam İd. 89; (Tkm. neşe: li-mā do. 90); kam neçe: (-c-) Bul. 15, 5: xv kam neşe: (-j- is the usual scription for -ç- in Kav.) Kav. 16, 21 ff.; if you ask a question about a number you say neçe (-c-) Tuh. 57a. 13 ff.; kullamā ‘whenever, whatever’ neşe ki do. 89b. 9: Osm. xiv ff. nice/niçe ‘how?; what?; several; often’ and in several idioms including niçe me; c.i.a.p. TTS I 526 ff.; II 705 ff.; III 521; IV 588 ff.