Reconstruction:Proto-West Semitic/gamal-

This Proto-West 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-West Semitic

Noun

*gamal-

camel

Reconstruction notes

Conventionally reconstructed as Proto-Semitic, but likely a Wanderwort of Arabian (possibly Arabic) origin.

Descendants

Central Semitic:
- Arabic: جَمَل (jamal)
  - Egyptian Arabic: جمل (gámal)
  - Maltese: ġemel
  - → Indonesian: gamel
  - → Swahili: ngamia
    - → Iraqw: angamia (“camel”)
    - → Tooro: engamiya (“camel; horse”), engamira (“camel”)
- Northwest Semitic:
  - Aramaic:
    Imperial Aramaic: 𐡂𐡌𐡋 (gml)
    
    Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡢𐡬𐡫 (gml)
    - Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: גַמְלָא (gamlā’)
    - Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܓܘܼܡܠܵܐ (gumlā)
    - Mandaic: ࡂࡅࡌࡋࡀ (gumla)
    - Classical Syriac: ܓܱ݁ܡܠܳܐ (gamlā)
      - → Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܓܲܡܠܵܐ (gamlā) (learned)
  - Canaanite:
    - Hebrew: גָּמָל (gamál, gāmāl)
    - Phoenician: 𐤂𐤌𐤋 (gml)
    - → Ancient Greek: κάμηλος (kámēlos)
      - → Latin: camēlus (see there for further descendants)
      - → Sanskrit: क्रमेल (kramela)
        → Bengali: ক্রমেলক (kromelok)
        → Hindi: क्रमेलक (kramelak)
  - Old South Arabian:
    - Sabaean: 𐩴𐩣𐩡 (gml)
  - → Neo-Assyrian: 𒃵𒂷 (gammalu)
    - → Demotic: gmwl (/⁠gamoul⁠/)
      - Coptic: ϭⲁⲙⲟⲩⲗ (camoul), ⲕⲁⲙⲟⲩⲗ (kamoul) — Sahidic, ϫⲁⲙⲟⲩⲗ (čamoul) — Bohairic
Ethiopian Semitic:
- Amharic: ግመል (gəmäl)
- Argobba: ጋሜሌ (gamela)
- Ge'ez: ገመል (gämäl)
- Harari: ጋመሌ (gāmäla), ጋሚሌ (gāmila)
- Sebat Bet Gurage: ግመል (gəmäl)
- Tigre: ገመል (gämäl)
- Tigrinya: ገመል (gämäl)
- → Kambaata: ጊሜላ (gamela)
Modern South Arabian:
- Shehri: gũl
- Soqotri: gimál
→ Proto-Berber: *a-lɣəm (see there for further descendants)
→ East Cushitic
- Highland East Cushitic:
  - Burji: gaali
  - Gedeo: ጋሌ (gaala)
  - Sidamo: gaala
- Saho-Afar:
  - Afar: gaalá
  - Saho: gaala
- Oromo: gaala
- Somali: geel
- → Zay: ጋሌ (gāla)
→ Old Georgian: აქლემი (aklemi)
- Georgian: აქლემი (aklemi)
  - →? Bats: აქლამ (aklam)
  - → Bezhta: акламо (aklamo)
  - → Hunzib: а̇кламо (åklamo)
  - → Laz: აქრემი (akremi), აქლემი (aklemi) — Khopa, Sarpi
  - → Mingrelian: არქემი (arkemi)

References

"GML II" in A. Murtonen, Hebrew in Its West Semitic Setting: A Comparative Survey of Non-Masoretic Hebrew Dialects and Traditions, Part 1, BRILL (1989), p. 136.
Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 207