Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ganb-

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

*ganb- m

1. side, flank and back taken together

   Antonym: *piʔat-

Inflection

Declension of *ganb-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ganbum	*ganbāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ganbam	*ganbayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ganbim
possessive forms
1st person	*ganbī / *ganbVya	—	*ganbVni
2nd person m	*ganbVka	*ganbVkumā / *ganbVkumay	*ganbVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*ganbVki		*ganbVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*ganbVšu	*ganbVšumā / *ganbVšumay	*ganbVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*ganbVša		*ganbVšin(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: *ganbuya for nom. case, *ganbiya for gen. case, *ganbaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: gabbum (“a certain part of the body of an animal or beast; whole, entirety, all”)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: جَنْب (janb)
      • Hijazi Arabic: جَنْب (janb)
      • Maltese: ġenb
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: גַּבָּא (gabbā, “side, flank”)
        • Classical Syriac: ܓܰܒܴ݁ܐ (gabbā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: גַּב (gáv, gaḇ, “back, later also body”)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎂𐎁 (gb /⁠gabbu⁠/, “dorsum”)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Ge'ez: ገቦ (gäbo)
    • Tigre: ገቦ (gäbo), note also the /n/ in አንገብ (ʾängäb, “fundament, tewel”)
    • Tigrinya: ጎቦ (gobo)
    • Inor: ጉፐ (gupa, “height of body”)
    • Gyeto: ጕፐ (gʷəpa, “height”)
  • Modern South Arabian:
    • Mehri: ganb
    • Harsusi: yanb
    • Shehri: ganb

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 79–80 Nr. 85