ṭabtum

Akkadian

Etymology

Possibly related to Proto-Semitic *ṭāb- (good, pleasant, tasty, palatable), either in the sense of taste or from the use of salt in preservation of meat allowing it to remain edible; other Semitic cognates suggest it is the former as they typically denote incense, spices, fragrances and scents, i.e. things pleasing to the senses. Compare also Arabic مَلِيح (malīḥ, literally salty) reversely developing to mean “well” in the dialects.

Pronunciation

Noun

ṭabtum f (pronominal state ṭabta)

  1. salt

Alternative forms

  • ṭabtu (non-mimated form)
Cuneiform spellings
Logograms Phonetic
  • 𒁕𒀊𒌈 (ṭa-ab-tum)

Derived terms

  • ṭabtiš
  • ša ṭabtim (salt dealer)