awīlum

Akkadian

Etymology

Compare Biblical Hebrew אֱוִיל (ʔɛ̆wil, “fool”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /aˈwiː.lum/

Noun

awīlum m (plural awīlû) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. man
2. human being
3. person, one
4. free citizen
   • 1755–1750 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon, translated by OMNIKA Foundation, Hammurabi Code‎^[1], The Louvre, Law 14:

     𒋳𒈠 𒀀𒉿𒈝 𒌉 𒀀𒉿𒅆 𒍢𒄴𒊏𒄠 𒅖𒋫𒊑𒅅 𒀉𒁕𒀝

     [šumma awīlum mār awīlim ṣeḫram ištariq iddâk]

     šum-ma a-wi-lum DUMU a-wi-lim ṣe-eḫ-ra-am iš-ta-ri-iq id-da-ak

     If a free man has kidnapped the young son of a free man, he will be executed.

Alternative forms

• awīlu (non-mimated)
• abīlum (Old Akkadian)
• amīlu, amēlu (Middle Babylonian, Standard Babylonian, Neo-Babylonian, Late Babylonian)
• a'īlu (Middle Assyrian)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒇽 (LU₂) 𒇽𒎌 (LU₂.MEŠ) (plural) 𒈾 (NA) (Standard Babylonian)	𒀀𒉿𒈝 (a-wi-lum) 𒀀𒉿𒇻 (a-wi-lu) 𒀀𒈨𒇻 (a-me-lu) 𒀀𒈪𒇻 (a-mi-lu) 𒀀𒉿𒇻𒌑 (a-wi-lu-u₂) (plural)

Derived terms

• awīltum
• awīlūtum