No definitive etymology can be suggested. Since the Sumerian equivalent appears to contain arina “root”, {pa₂-la-nu} could perhaps be compared with Hbr. pō(ˀ)rōt “shoots of a wine; branches of a magnificent tree” (HALOT 909), which would yield a reconstruction *paˀr-ānu. An alternative connection with Akk. parʾu “shoot, offspring”, implying the reconstruction parˁ-ānu, is also possible, although the “strong aleph” in Mesopotamian Akkadian would be expected to be rendered by a {ḪV} sign in Ebla.