𐰚𐰅𐰲

kēç means ‘late, delayed; lateness’ and could be used adjectivally, adverbially and substantivally. The vowel of the first syllable was long, as is especially clearly supported by Turkmen gi:ç. The word stands beside the corresponding verb kēç- ‘to be late, be slow’ and must be distinguished from the short-vowel verb keç- ‘to pass, cross’. The stem survives in many modern Turkic languages; beside ‘late’, several languages developed the meaning ‘evening’.