Reconstruction:Proto-West Semitic/katab-

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

Etymology

    Compare Akkadian takāpum (“to pierce”), which could potentially be related through metathesis.

    Verb

    *katab-

    1. to scrape, to scratch

    Reconstruction notes

    The meaning "write" is secondary and spread through diffusion rather than inheritance (Huehnergard 2005). In languages where "write" is the only attested sense, the reflex cannot be considered reliable evidence.

    Descendants

    • Central Semitic:
      • Arabic: كَتَبَ (kataba)
      • Northwest Semitic:
    • Ethiopian Semitic:
      • North Ethiopian Semitic:
      • South Ethiopian Semitic:
        • ⇒ Amharic: ከተበ (kättäbä, “to vaccinate”)
        • Gurage: ከተበ (kätäbä)
        • Harari: ከተባ (kätäba)

    References

    • Kogan, Leonid (2015) Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 213
    • Huehnergard, John (2005) "Features of Central Semitic", Biblical and Oriental Essays in Memory of William L. Moran, pp. 155‒203.
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