Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʔarḫ-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic

Noun

*ʔarḫ- f

cow

Inflection

Declension of *ʔarḫ-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ʔarḫum	*ʔarḫāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ʔarḫam	*ʔarḫayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ʔarḫim	*ʔarḫayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	ʔarḫī / ʔarḫVya	—	*ʔarḫVni
2^nd person m	*ʔarḫVka	ʔarḫVkumā / ʔarḫVkumay	*ʔarḫVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*ʔarḫVki	ʔarḫVkumā / ʔarḫVkumay	*ʔarḫVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*ʔarḫVšu	ʔarḫVšumā / ʔarḫVšumay	*ʔarḫVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*ʔarḫVša	ʔarḫVšumā / ʔarḫVšumay	*ʔarḫVšin(ā)

the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *ʔarḫuya for nom. case, *ʔarḫiya for gen. case, *ʔarḫaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒀖 (arḫum)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: أَرْخ (ʔarḵ), إِرْخ (ʔirḵ)
    - Maltese: erħa
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Ammonite: 𐤀𐤓𐤇 (ʾrḥ)
    - Imperial Aramaic: [Demotic needed] (ʔrḫ)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎀𐎗𐎃 (ảrḫ)
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Soqotri: ʔarḥ
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Tigrinya: ኣርሒ (ʾarḥi), ኣርሓ (ʾarḥa)

References

Militarev, Alexander, Kogan, Leonid (2005) “*ˀarḫ-”, in Semitic Etymological Dictionary, volume II: Animal Names, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 16–17, Nr. 12