Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ḥabl-

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

*ḥabl- m

1. rope

Inflection

Declension of *ḥabl-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ḥablum	*ḥablāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ḥablam	*ḥablayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ḥablim
possessive forms
1st person	*ḥablī / *ḥablVya	—	*ḥablVni
2nd person m	*ḥablVka	*ḥablVkumā / *ḥablVkumay	*ḥablVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*ḥablVki		*ḥablVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*ḥablVšu	*ḥablVšumā / *ḥablVšumay	*ḥablVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*ḥablVša		*ḥablVšin(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: *ḥabluya for nom. case, *ḥabliya for gen. case, *ḥablaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic
  • Akkadian: 𒂠 (eblu)
• West Semitic
  • Central Semitic
    • Arabic: حَبْل (ḥabl)
      • Gulf Arabic: حَبِل (ḥəbel)
      • Maltese: ħabel
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: חַבִלָא (ḥaḇlā)
        • Classical Syriac: ܚܰܒܠܳܐ (ḥaḇlā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: חֶבֶל (khével, ḥéḇel)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎈𐎁𐎍 (ḥbl /⁠ḥablu⁠/)
    • Old South Arabian
      • Old South Arabian: 𐩢𐩨𐩡 (ḥbl, “pact, alliance”)
  • Ethiopian Semitic
    • Amharic: ሀብል (häbl)
    • Ge'ez: ሐብል (ḥäbl)
    • Tigre: ሐብል (ḥäbl)
    • Tigrinya: ሐብሊ (ḥäbli)
  • Modern South Arabian
    • Soqotri: ḥábehol

References

• Guidi, Ignazio (1879) Della sede primitiva dei popoli semitici (in Italian), Rome: Tipi del Salviucci, page 17
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 223
• Leslau, Wolf (1938) Lexique Soqotri (sudarabique moderne) avec comparaisons et explications étymologiques (in French), Wiesbaden: Libraire C. Klincksieck, page 159
• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 107–108
• Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 15