birkum

Akkadian

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *birk- (“knee”). Cognate with Arabic بَرَكَ (baraka, “to kneel”), رُكْبَة (rukba, “knee”) and Biblical Hebrew בֶּרֶךְ (bɛ́rɛḵ, “knee”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈbir.kum/

Noun

birkum m (construct state birki, pronominal state birka, plural birkū)

1. knee
2. lap
3. euphemism for male or female genitals

Alternative forms

• birku (non-mimated form)
• burkum, burku (non-mimated form)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒄭 (ḪI)	𒁉𒅕𒆪𒌝 (bi-ir-ku-um)

Related terms

• bēl birkim (“runner, henchman”)

 

See also

• 𒇿 (pagrum, “body”)