Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/raʔš-

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

*raʔš- m

head

Inflection

Declension of *raʔš-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*raʔšum	*raʔšāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*raʔšam	*raʔšayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*raʔšim	*raʔšayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	raʔšī / raʔšVya	—	*raʔšVni
2^nd person m	*raʔšVka	raʔšVkumā / raʔšVkumay	*raʔšVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*raʔšVki	raʔšVkumā / raʔšVkumay	*raʔšVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*raʔšVšu	raʔšVšumā / raʔšVšumay	*raʔšVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*raʔšVša	raʔšVšumā / raʔšVšumay	*raʔšVšin(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: *raʔšuya for nom. case, *raʔšiya for gen. case, *raʔšaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒊕 (rēšum)
- Eblaite: 𒌷𒉈 (rí-še₆ /riʔši/ [URU.NE])
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: رَأْس (raʔs)
    - Egyptian Arabic: راس (rās)
    - Gulf Arabic: راس (rās)
    - Maltese: ras
    - Moroccan Arabic: راس (rās)
    - → Punjabi: ਰਾਸ (rās)
    - → Swahili: rasi
    - → Ottoman Turkish: رأس (re's)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic: רֵישָׁא (rēšā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܪܶܝܫܳܐ (rēšā)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: רֹאשׁ (rosh, rōʾš), רָאשִׁים pl (rashím, rāʾšîm), רֵאשִׁית (reshít, rēʾšîṯ, “beginning”), רִאשׁוֹן (rishón, riʾšôn, “first”)
      - Moabite: 𐤓𐤔 (rš)
      - Phoenician: 𐤓𐤀𐤔 (rʾš)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎗𐎛𐎌 (rỉš /⁠raʾšu⁠/)
  - Old South Arabian:
    - (Epigraphic) Old South Arabian: 𐩧𐩱𐩪 (rʾs¹)
    - Sabaean: 𐩧𐩱𐩪 (rʾs¹)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Amharic: ራስ (ras)
  - Ge'ez: ርእስ (rəʾs)
  - Tigre: ረኣስ (räʾas)
  - Tigrinya: ርእሲ (rəʾsi)

References

Kogan, Leonid (2015) Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN
Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN