Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ḏaḳan-

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

Noun

*ḏaḳan-

1. beard

Inflection

Declension of *ḏaḳan-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ḏaḳanum	*ḏaḳanāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ḏaḳanam	*ḏaḳanayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ḏaḳanim
possessive forms
1st person	*ḏaḳanī / *ḏaḳanVya	—	*ḏaḳanVni
2nd person m	*ḏaḳanVka	*ḏaḳanVkumā / *ḏaḳanVkumay	*ḏaḳanVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*ḏaḳanVki		*ḏaḳanVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*ḏaḳanVšu	*ḏaḳanVšumā / *ḏaḳanVšumay	*ḏaḳanVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*ḏaḳanVša		*ḏaḳanVšin(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: *ḏaḳanuya for nom. case, *ḏaḳaniya for gen. case, *ḏaḳanaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒅾 (ziqnum, “beard”)
  • Eblaite: 𒊭𒂵𒈝 (ša-ga-núm /⁠daqanum⁠/), 𒊭𒄖𒉡𒌝 (ša-gu-nu-um /⁠daqūnum⁠/) = Sumerian 𒋗𒆕 (SU₆.DÙ)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: ذَقَن (‬ḏaqan), ذِقْن (ḏiqn, “chin”)
      • Hijazi Arabic: ذِقِن (digin, “beard, chin”)
      • Maltese: daqna (“beard”)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: דִּקְנָא (diqnā), דִּיקְנָא (dīqnā, “beard; chin”)
        • Classical Syriac: ܕܻ݁ܩܢܳܐ (diqnā, “beard”)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: זָקָן (zakán, zāqān, “beard”)
        • Phoenician: 𐤆𐤒𐤍 (zqn, “beard”)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎄𐎖𐎐 (dqn /⁠daqanu⁠/, “beard; chin”)
  • South Semitic:
    • Soqotri: díḳehon, dóḳehan, dáḳehan, də́ḳhɔn

Further reading

• Militarev, Alexander, Kogan, Leonid (2000) “ḏiḳan- ~ *ʒi/aḳan-”, in Semitic Etymological Dictionary, volumes I: Anatomy of Man and Animals, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 59–60 Nr. 63