Reconstructions Search

The origin of Proto-MSA *lhm/*lḥm ‘to touch’ is uncertain and it is even hard to say which of the two variants is primary from the etymological point of view. For *lḥm, cf. perhaps Syr. lḥm ‘aptus fuit; se applicavit; minatus est,’ (pa.) ‘conjunxit’, Arb. lḥm (VI) ‘to be joined, knit together’, Gez. ˀalḥama ‘to close, to glue’, Tgr. ˀalḥamä ‘to glue,’

Leslau is probably correct to connect Proto-MSA *lkd ‘to patch leather’ with Hbr. lkd ‘to catch animals by trapping’ (HALOT 530) and Arb. lkd ‘to cleave, to stick’ (Lane 2671), all going back to the presumably original meanings “to tie,” “to bind,” “to attach.”1466 Sab. mlkd ‘cistern’ (SD 82) likely belongs to the same root (with Biella 259: “something which traps the water brought by the canal”). (Kogan 2015:563)

“One is tempted to connect Proto-MSA *ma-lsay- ‘rain’ with Akk. nalšu ‘dew’ (CAD N1 202, AHw. 724). The unusual sequence of two sonorants in the Akkadian word makes feasible the secondary origin of of n-, whereas the correspondence of Akk. (and PS) š to MSA s has good precedents elsewhere in the MSA vocabulary. This comparison is, however, quite tentative in any case.”

“Proto-MSA *ltγ ‘to kilľ is probably related to Arb. ltγ ‘to beat (with one’s hand)’ (LA 8 532, Bittner 1914:57) which, in its turn, has been compared toAkk. letû ‘to split’ (CAD L 148, AHw. 546).” (Kogan 2015:539)

Proto-MSA *lawḳ-at- ‘jar, bottle’ cannot be separated from Tgr. loḳota ‘outre à mieľ (WTS 37), Tna. läḳwäta, loḳota ‘pod, skin bag used as a container for grain, flour’ (TED 94), but the ultimate origin of these terms is unclear. Any connection with Arb. lūqat- ‘butter’ (LA 10 400)? (Kogan 2015:563)

“The origin of Proto-MSA *madram- ‘heeľ is uncertain. See Kogan 2015:552 for detailed discussion.

The origin is unknown.

Proto-MSA *mi-ḳraf-at- ‘shoulder blade’ is undoubtedly derived from the verbal root *ḳrp ‘to scratch off,’ preserved in Arb. qrf ‘to peel off the bark of atree’ (LA 9 334) and Gez. ḳarafa ‘to peel off’ (CDG 441, with cognates in other EthS). Indeed, as pointed out by T. M. Johnstone, the shoulder blade is “used as a broom to clean out a pen-cave” (ML 235). For similar “instrumental” designations of this body part cf. Akk. naglabu (CAD N1 119,1464 AHw. 711, Streck 2002:231), Latin scapula (WH II 489‒490), English shoulder blade, Russian лопатка (diminutive from лопата ‘shovel,’ Vasmer II 519). Leslau’s comparison with Tna. gwərbətta ‘rump’ (TED 2262) and Amh. ǯärba ‘back’ (AED 1859) can hardly be accepted. (Kogan 2015:562)

The origin of Proto-MSA *minsab- ‘pubic hair’ is uncertain, for a few tentative comparisons v. SED I No. 239. The similarity between the MSA terms and Sum. munsub ‘hair’ (Civil 2007:29) is striking, but hard to explain. (Kogan 2015:565)