Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/purḡūṯ-

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

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Afroasiatic *pVrɣVč- (“flea, grasshopper, louse”). Dubiously connected by Dillmann to Ge'ez አንፈርዐጸ (ʾänfärʿäṣä, “to prance, to leap”). Compare also Proto-Turkic *bürge, *bürče and Proto-Indo-European *plúsis.

Noun

*purḡūṯ- m

1. flea

Inflection

Declension of *purḡūṯ-

Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*purḡūṯum	*purḡūṯāna	plural stem + *-ūna
Genitive	*purḡūṯim	*purḡūṯayna	plural stem + *-īna
Accusative	*purḡūṯam
possessive forms
1st person	*purḡūṯī / *purḡūṯVya	—	*purḡūṯVni
2nd person m	*purḡūṯVka	*purḡūṯVkumā / *purḡūṯVkumay	*purḡūṯVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*purḡūṯVki		*purḡūṯVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*purḡūṯVšu	*purḡūṯVšumā / *purḡūṯVšumay	*purḡūṯVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*purḡūṯVša		*purḡūṯVšin(ā)
Note: 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: *purḡūṯuya for nom. case, *purḡūṯiya for gen. case, *purḡūṯaya for acc. case, etc. Declension of 2sg m. possessive form (your/thy m.) *purḡūṯ- Singular Dual Plural Nominative *purḡūṯuka *purḡūṯāka plural stem + *-ūka Genitive *purḡūṯika *purḡūṯayka plural stem + *-īka Accusative *purḡūṯaka Declension of 2sg f. possessive form (your/thy f.) *purḡūṯ- Singular Dual Plural Nominative *purḡūṯuki *purḡūṯāki plural stem + *-ūki Genitive *purḡūṯiki *purḡūṯayki plural stem + *-īki Accusative *purḡūṯaki

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒄴 (piršaʾum, perʾāšum, purʾušum, peršāʾum, puršāʾum)
  • Eblaite: 𒁓𒄩𒋧 (pur-ḫa-šúm)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: بُرْغُوث (burḡūṯ)
      • Gulf Arabic: برغوث (barḡūṯ)
      • Maltese: bergħud
      • Moroccan Arabic: برغوت (barḡūt)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:
        • Classical Syriac: ܦܾ݁ܘܪܬܱ݁ܥܢܳܐ (purtaʿnā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: פַּרְעוֹשׁ (par'ósh, parʿôš)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎔𐎗𐎙𐎘 (prġṯ) (in a proper name)

References

• Dillmann, August (1865) “አንፈርዐጸ”, in Lexicon linguae aethiopicae cum indice latino (in Latin), Leipzig: T. O. Weigel, column 1354
• 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 212
• Militarev, Alexander, Kogan, Leonid (2005) Semitic Etymological Dictionary, volume II: Animal Names, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, →ISBN, page 246
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 165
• Orel, Vladimir E., Stolbova, Olga V. (1995) Hamito-Semitic Etymological Dictionary: Materials for a Reconstruction (Handbuch der Orientalistik; I.18), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill, page 84