Reconstruction:Proto-West Semitic/pataw-

This Proto-West 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-West Semitic

Etymology

From a biconsonantal root extended by reduplication in Proto-West Semitic *patat- (“to make disintegrate, to cut piecemeal”) (Arabic ف ت ت (f t t)), however also seen in Proto-Semitic *pataḥ- (“to open”), *pataq- (“to tear up”) reconstructable from Akkadian.

Verb

*pataw-

1. to perforate, to hole, to spread
2. (figurative) to entice, to seduce, to snooker, to entangle or ensnare

Descendants

• Central Semitic:
  • ⇒ Arabic: فَتًى (fatan, “youngster”)
  • Northwest Semitic:
    • Aramaic:
      • Palestinian and Classical Syriac: ܦܬܝ (“to enlarge, to open wide”, paʿʿel)
    • Canaanite:
      • Hebrew: פִּתָּה (pitá, pittā, “to entice, to seduce”, piʿʿel), פֶתִי (p'tí, pəṯī, “dupe; gullible person”)
        • → Jewish Literary Aramaic, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: פתי (“to entice, to seduce”, paʿʿel)
    • Ugaritic: 𐎔𐎚𐎊 (pty, “to seduce; to copulate”)
  • ⇒ Safaitic: 𐪐𐪉𐪚 (fty /⁠patay⁠/, “slave”)
• Ethiopian Semitic:
  • North Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Ge'ez: ፈተወ (fätäwä), ፈትወ (fätwä, “to love, to desire”)
    • Tigre: ፈታ (fäta, “to love, to desire”)
    • Tigrinya: ፈተወ (fätäwä, “to love, to desire”)

Further reading

• “pty”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, with many farther related derivations from idea of “broadness”
• “pty²”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–