šamû

Akkadian

𒀭𒌑 (šamû)

Etymology

Contraction of šamā'ū. From Proto-Semitic *šamāy- (“sky, heaven”). Cognate with Arabic سَمَاء (samāʔ) and Biblical Hebrew שָׁמַיִם (šɔmáyim).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ʃaˈmuː/

Noun

šamû m pl (base šamā) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. sky, heaven
   • 1755–1750 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon, translated by CDLI, Hammurabi Code‎^[1], The Louvre, Prologue, lines 3-5:

     𒀭𒂗𒆤 𒁁𒂖 𒊭𒈨𒂊 𒅇 𒅕𒍢𒁴

     [Enlil bēl šamê u erṣetim]

     ^den-lil₂ be-el ša-me-e u₃ er-ṣe-tim

     Enlil, lord of heaven and earth

Alternative forms

• šamā'ū, šamāmū

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic	Mixed
𒀭 (AN)	𒊭𒈬𒌑 (ša-mu-u₂) 𒃻𒈬𒌑 (ša₂-mu-u₂) 𒃻𒈬𒌋 (ša₂-mu-u) 𒊭𒈬𒌋 (ša-mu-u) 𒊭𒈨𒂊 (ša-me-e) (accusative/genitive) 𒃻𒈨𒂊 (ša₂-me-e) (accusative/genitive) 𒊭𒈨 (ša-me) (accusative/genitive)	𒀭𒌑 (AN-u₂) 𒀭𒂊 (AN-e) (accusative/genitive)

References

• “šamû”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], volume 17, Š, part 1, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1989