Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/-at-

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

Alternative forms

• *-t- (syncope)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Afroasiatic *-t (feminine suffix). The semantic extension from feminine to abstract/collective is comparable (albeit in reverse) to the one of Proto-Indo-European *-h₂, *-eh₂.

Suffix

*-at- f

1. Feminine-forming suffix.

   Synonym: *-ay- (on certain words)

   1. Abstract/collective-forming suffix.

Inflection

Declension of *-at-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-atum	*-atāna	*-ātum
accusative	*-atam	*-atayna	*-ātim
genitive	*-atim
possessive forms
1st person	*-atī / *-atVya	—	*-atVni
2nd person m	*-atVka	*-atVkumā / *-atVkumay	*-atVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*-atVki		*-atVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*-atVšu	*-atVšumā / *-atVšumay	*-atVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*-atVša		*-atVšin(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: *-atuya for nom. case, *-atiya for gen. case, *-ataya for acc. case, etc.

Notes

• Syncopation of unstressed vowels caused the form *-t to appear in many nouns; in some descendants, this distinction became lexicalized.
• Proto-Semitic numerals from three to ten were formed adding the abstract/collective suffix *-at- to the root. The bare root morpheme continued to be used with feminine nouns, which led to a phenomenon of gendered numerals in various Semitic languages.

Derived terms

• *ʔaḫwat- (“sister”)
• *bint- (“daughter”)
• *baʕlat- (“mistress, lady”)
• *ʔilāhat- (“goddess”)
• *-atum (nominative absolutive forming-suffix) (+ *-um (singular nominative ending))
  • *ṯalāṯatum (“three”)
  • *ʔarbaʕatum (“four”)
  • *ḫamšatum (“five”)
  • *šidṯatum (“six”)
  • *šabʕatum (“seven”)
  • *ṯamāniyatum (“eight”)
  • *tišʕatum (“nine”)
  • *ʕaśaratum (“ten”)

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: -𒌈 (-(a)tum, feminine suffix)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: ـَة (-a)
      • Gulf Arabic: ـة (-a)
      • Maltese: -a
      • → Classical Persian: ـَه (-a)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:
        • Classical Syriac: ـܬܳܐ (-tā,-ṯā, feminine suffix), ـܻܝܬܳܐ (-īṯā, feminine suffix), ـܽܘܬܳܐ (-ūṯā, abstract suffix)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: ־ָה (-a, -â, feminine suffix)
          • → Yiddish: ־ה (-e)
        • Hebrew: ־ִית (-ít, -îṯ, feminine suffix)
        • Hebrew: ־וּת (-út, -ûṯ, abstract/collective and feminine suffix)
          • → Yiddish: ־ות (-es)
          • → English: -oth, -os

References

• Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN