Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/daṯʔ-

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

*daṯʔ- m

1. grass

Inflection

Declension of *daṯʔ-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*daṯʔum	*daṯʔāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*daṯʔam	*daṯʔayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*daṯʔim
possessive forms
1st person	*daṯʔī / *daṯʔVya	—	*daṯʔVni
2nd person m	*daṯʔVka	*daṯʔVkumā / *daṯʔVkumay	*daṯʔVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*daṯʔVki		*daṯʔVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*daṯʔVšu	*daṯʔVšumā / *daṯʔVšumay	*daṯʔVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*daṯʔVša		*daṯʔVšin(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: *daṯʔuya for nom. case, *daṯʔiya for gen. case, *daṯʔaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒌑𒇷𒀀𒊬 (dīšum)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: ثُدَّاء (ṯuddāʔ, “desert papyrus, Cyperus conglomeratus”) (with metathesis)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:
        • Jewish Literary Aramaic: דִּתְאָה (diṯʾā)
        • Classical Syriac: ܬܱ݁ܕܐܳܐ (taḏʾā) (with metathesis)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: דֶּשֶׁא (déshe, déšeʾ)
          • ⇒ Hebrew: דָּשָׁא (dashá, dāšāʾ, “to sprout, to grow green”)
    • >? Old South Arabian:
      • →? Arabic: دِيس (dīs, “rush, Juncus; club-rush, Scirpus; rope grass, Ampelodesmos mauritanicus”)