Talk:kuhani
Add topicLatest comment: 1 month ago by 2.203.201.41
@Fay Freak, I assume there must be an Arabic intermediary here, right? —Μετάknowledgediscuss/deeds 16:58, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
- @Metaknowledge From the plural of كَاهِن (kāhin) unless this is from those Jews coming from South Arabia. Fay Freak (talk) 17:10, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
- Is the Arabic word specifically used to refer to priests in Judaism? If so, I'd believe it (and the Arabic entry would need another definition line). —Μετάknowledgediscuss/deeds 19:06, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
- @Metaknowledge It is a usual word for “priest”, meaning pagan priests, druids and the like. If a Jewish priest is to be designated the word is most likely to be used but a “specific” meaning is not recognized in dictionaries and almost impossible to search. You don’t need a specific meaning anyhow to derive the Swahili from the Arabic. It just was, as I imagine: Arabic speakers referred to Jewish priests as kuhhān, then Swahili speakers copied it. Meanings often specialize when borrowed, as the speakers of the receiving language lack comprehensive knowledge of the giving language or don’t care. Fay Freak (talk) 21:41, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
- The Swahili word is in no way restricted to Judaism. I google translate here the first paragraph of the sw.wiki article: Kuhani ni mtu ambye katika dini nyingi, anashika nafasi ya mshenga kati ya Mungu (au miungu, mizimu n.k.) na binadamu wenzake. -- "A priest is a person who, in many religions, holds the position of mediator between God (or gods, spirits, etc.) and his fellow humans." -- The only thing is that it isn't used of Catholic or Orthodox priests, who are called kasisi or padre. This usage is patterned on Arabic, where قِسِّيس (qissīs) is restricted to Christian priests, whereas كاهِن (kāhin) may be used of them, but tends to be avoided, and is at any rate much more common for non- or pre-Christian priests (including those of Biblical times). 2.203.201.41 19:44, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Metaknowledge It is a usual word for “priest”, meaning pagan priests, druids and the like. If a Jewish priest is to be designated the word is most likely to be used but a “specific” meaning is not recognized in dictionaries and almost impossible to search. You don’t need a specific meaning anyhow to derive the Swahili from the Arabic. It just was, as I imagine: Arabic speakers referred to Jewish priests as kuhhān, then Swahili speakers copied it. Meanings often specialize when borrowed, as the speakers of the receiving language lack comprehensive knowledge of the giving language or don’t care. Fay Freak (talk) 21:41, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
- Is the Arabic word specifically used to refer to priests in Judaism? If so, I'd believe it (and the Arabic entry would need another definition line). —Μετάknowledgediscuss/deeds 19:06, 24 September 2018 (UTC)