Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʕankab(īṯ)-

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

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly from Proto-Afroasiatic.

Noun

*ʕankab(īṯ)-

1. spider

Inflection

Declension of *ʕankab(īṯ)-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ʕankab(īṯ)um	*ʕankab(īṯ)āna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ʕankab(īṯ)am	*ʕankab(īṯ)ayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ʕankab(īṯ)im
possessive forms
1st person	*ʕankab(īṯ)ī / *ʕankab(īṯ)Vya	—	*ʕankab(īṯ)Vni
2nd person m	*ʕankab(īṯ)Vka	*ʕankab(īṯ)Vkumā / *ʕankab(īṯ)Vkumay	*ʕankab(īṯ)Vkum(ū)
2nd person f	*ʕankab(īṯ)Vki		*ʕankab(īṯ)Vkin(ā)
3rd person m	*ʕankab(īṯ)Všu	*ʕankab(īṯ)Všumā / *ʕankab(īṯ)Všumay	*ʕankab(īṯ)Všum(ū)
3rd person f	*ʕankab(īṯ)Vša		*ʕankab(īṯ)Všin(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: *ʕankab(īṯ)uya for nom. case, *ʕankab(īṯ)iya for gen. case, *ʕankab(īṯ)aya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: عَنْكَبُوت (ʕankabūt), عَنْكَب (ʕankab), عَنْكَبَة (ʕankaba), عَنْكَبَاة (ʕankabāh), عُكَّاش (ʕukkāš) — uncertain
      • Maltese: għanqbut
      • → Middle Armenian: անքապութի (ankʻaputʻi), յանկապութիա (yankaputʻia, “retina”)
      • → Ottoman Turkish: عنكبوت
        • Turkish: ankebut
  • Northwest Semitic:
    • Aramaic: עַכָּבִיתָא (ʿakkāḇīṯā)
    • Caananite:
      • Hebrew: עַכָּבִישׁ (akavísh)

References

• Militarev, Alexander, Kogan, Leonid (2000–2005) Semitic Etymological Dictionary, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag