Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ḥamṯ-

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

*ḥamṯ- m

1. abdomen

Inflection

Declension of *ḥamṯ-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ḥamṯum	*ḥamṯāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ḥamṯam	*ḥamṯayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ḥamṯim
possessive forms
1st person	*ḥamṯī / *ḥamṯVya	—	*ḥamṯVni
2nd person m	*ḥamṯVka	*ḥamṯVkumā / *ḥamṯVkumay	*ḥamṯVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*ḥamṯVki		*ḥamṯVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*ḥamṯVšu	*ḥamṯVšumā / *ḥamṯVšumay	*ḥamṯVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*ḥamṯVša		*ḥamṯVšin(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: *ḥamṯuya for nom. case, *ḥamṯiya for gen. case, *ḥamṯaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒍨 (emšu, imšu, “region below the navel; abdomen; uterus”)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:

        Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: חִמְּצָא (ḥimṣā, “fatty intestinal tissue”) (considered influenced by Akkadian 𒍜𒈨𒃶 (^UZU.ME.ḪÉ /⁠ḫimṣu⁠/, “fatty intestinal tissue”), but this is generally mentioned in rituals and could be a West-Semitic borrowing)

        • Classical Mandaic: ࡉࡌࡑࡀ (himṣa, “abdomen, belly, entrails”)
        • Classical Syriac: ܚܘܽܡܫܳܐ (ḥumšā, “abdomen; omasum”) (considered from Hebrew)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: חֹמֶשׁ (khomésh, ḥṓmeš, “belly, abdomen”)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎈𐎎𐎘 (ḥmṯ /⁠ḥamṯu⁠/, “venter”)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Amharic: እምስ (ʾəms, “vulva, vagina”)
    • Ge'ez: ሕምስ (ḥəms), ሕምሥ (ḥəmś, “pubes; uterus”)
    • Tigre: ሕምስ (ḥəms, “pubes, abdomen”)
  • Modern South Arabian:
    • Mehri: ḥamṯ (“belly below the navel”)
    • Harsusi: ḥamṯ (“lower belly, pubes”)
    • Shehri: ḥamṯ (“lower belly”)
    • Soqotri: ḥánt (“venter”)

References

• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 176a
• Militarev, Alexander, Kogan, Leonid (2000) Semitic Etymological Dictionary, volumes I: Anatomy of Man and Animals, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 110–111 Nr. 122