Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/malk-

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

*malk- m

1. king, prince

Declension

Declension of *malk-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*malkum	*malkāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*malkam	*malkayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*malkim
possessive forms
1st person	*malkī / *malkVya	—	*malkVni
2nd person m	*malkVka	*malkVkumā / *malkVkumay	*malkVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*malkVki		*malkVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*malkVšu	*malkVšumā / *malkVšumay	*malkVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*malkVša		*malkVšin(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: *malkuya for nom. case, *malkiya for gen. case, *malkaya for acc. case, etc.

Reconstruction notes

Sometimes reconstructed as *malik- to account for the Arabic form, which is otherwise irregular and perhaps the lack of vowels in Semitic scripts accounts for such irregularities. This form has also recently been confirmed in the oldest attested West-Semitic text in Amorite .

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒈠𒀠𒆪𒌝 (malkum)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: مَلِك (malik) (perhaps borrowed from Aramaic) (see there for further descendants)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:

        Imperial Aramaic: 𐡌𐡋𐡊𐡀 (malkā)

        Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: מַלְכָּא (malkā)

        • Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡋࡊࡀ (malkā)
        • Classical Syriac: ܡܰܠܟܴ݁ܐ (malkā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Ammonite: 𐤌𐤋𐤊 (mlk)
        • Hebrew: מֶלֶךְ (mélekh, méleḵ)
        • Moabite: 𐤌𐤋𐤊 (mlk)
        • Phoenician: 𐤌𐤋𐤊 (mlk /⁠milk⁠/)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎍𐎋 (mlk /⁠malku⁠/)
    • Old South Arabian:
      • Minaean: 𐩣𐩡𐩫 (mlk)
      • Sabaean: 𐩣𐩡𐩫 (mlk)
      • Qatabanian: 𐩣𐩡𐩫 (mlk)
    • Safaitic: 𐪃𐪁𐪋 (mlk)
  • Ethiopian Semitic *ʔamlāk- (originally a broken plural)
    • Amharic: አምላክ (ʾämlak, “god”)
    • Ge'ez: አምላክ (ʾämlak, “god”)