Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʕašt-

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

**Proto-Semitic numbers ^(edit)**
	10
	1	2 →	10 →
Cardinal: *ʕašt-

Numeral

*ʕašt-

one

Usage notes

Supplanted in West Semitic by *ʔaḥad- (“lone”).
The feminine is formed with the rare feminine suffix *-ay-.

Inflection

Declension of *ʕašt-
	m	f
nominative	*ʕaštum	*ʕaštayum
accusative	*ʕaštam	*ʕaštayam
genitive	*ʕaštim	*ʕaštayim

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒁹 m (ištēn)
West Semitic:
- Northwest Semitic:
  - Hebrew: עַשְׁתֵּי f (ʿaštê)
  - Ugaritic: 𐎓𐎌𐎚 m (ʿšt /⁠ʿaštu⁠/), 𐎓𐎌𐎗 m (ʿšr /⁠ʿašru⁠/), [Term?] f (/⁠ʿaštayu⁠/), 𐎓𐎌𐎚𐎊 (ʿšty)
- Old South Arabian:
  - Minaean: 𐩲𐩪𐩩 (ʿs¹t)
  - Qatabanian: 𐩲𐩪𐩩𐩬𐩣 (ʿs¹tnm)
→ Hurrian: 𐎛𐎘𐎚 (ỉṯt /⁠ašt⁠/), (possibly; potentially related to or otherwise developed from Proto-Hurro-Urartian *šu- (“one, once”) reconstructed from Hurrian 𒉻𒆠 (šuk-ki /⁠šukki⁠/) and Urartian 𒋗𒋛𒉌 (šu-si-ni /⁠šusini⁠/))

References

Wilson-Wright, Aren (2014) “The Word for 'One' in Proto-Semitic”, in Journal of Semitic Studies‎^[1], volume 59, number 1, →DOI, pages 1–13.
Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN, page 61