Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/mVdr-

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

*mVdr- m

1. clod (of the earth, clay, bread etc.)

Inflection

Declension of *mVdr-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mVdrum	*mVdrāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*mVdram	*mVdrayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*mVdrim
possessive forms
1st person	*mVdrī / *mVdrVya	—	*mVdrVni
2nd person m	*mVdrVka	*mVdrVkumā / *mVdrVkumay	*mVdrVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*mVdrVki		*mVdrVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*mVdrVšu	*mVdrVšumā / *mVdrVšumay	*mVdrVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*mVdrVša		*mVdrVšin(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: *mVdruya for nom. case, *mVdriya for gen. case, *mVdraya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒃻 (midrum, “lump of bread”)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: مَدَر (madar, “loam used for town buildings”)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:

        Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: מִדְרָא (miḏrā)

        • Classical Syriac: ܡܶܕܪܳܐ (meḏrā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Biblical Hebrew: מֶדֶר (méder, méḏer)
    • Old South Arabian:
      • Sabaean: 𐩣𐩵𐩧 (mdr, “territory, ground”)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Amharic: ምድር (mədr, “the earth”)
    • Ge'ez: ምድር (mədr, “earth, soil”)

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 189, who apparently does not understand the Akkadian witnesses, saying “attestation of this root in Akkadian is uncertain”.