Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/biʔr-

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

*biʔr- m

1. a well

Inflection

Declension of *biʔr-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*biʔrum	*biʔrāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*biʔram	*biʔrayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*biʔrim
possessive forms
1st person	*biʔrī / *biʔrVya	—	*biʔrVni
2nd person m	*biʔrVka	*biʔrVkumā / *biʔrVkumay	*biʔrVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*biʔrVki		*biʔrVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*biʔrVšu	*biʔrVšumā / *biʔrVšumay	*biʔrVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*biʔrVša		*biʔrVšin(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: *biʔruya for nom. case, *biʔriya for gen. case, *biʔraya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒁍𒌨𒋾 (bīrtum)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: بِئْر (biʔr)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:

        Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: בְּאֵרָא (bəʾērā)

        Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: בֵּירָא (bērā)

        • Classical Syriac: ܒ݁ܐܶܪܰܐ (bəʾerā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: בְּאֵר (b'ér, bəʾēr)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎁𐎛𐎗 (bỉr /⁠biʾru⁠/)

References

• Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 192