girru

Akkadian

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *gVr- (“whelp”). Cognate with Arabic جَرْو (jarw, “cub”) and Biblical Hebrew גּוּר (gur, “cub”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡir.ru/

Noun

girru m (Standard Babylonian)

1. lion

   Synonyms: 𒌨𒈤 (nēšum), 𒆷𒁍𒌝 (lābum)

   • c. 7th–9th C. BCE [c. 1300 BCE], Ludlul bēl nēmeqi‎^[1], CDLI P491222, canto 5:

     𒄿𒈾 𒉿𒄿 𒄫𒊑 𒀀𒆸𒅀
     𒀉𒁲 𒀮𒊓𒈠 𒀭𒀫𒌓

     [ina pî girri ākilīya
     iddi napsama Marduk]

     i‐na pi‐i gir‐ri a‐kil‐ia
     id‐di nap‐sa‐ma ^dAMAR.UTU

     In the mouth of the lion devouring me
     Marduk placed a bit.

   • p. 1000 BCE, Lexical series Ea‎^[2], composite number Q000156, archived from the original on 29 January 2023, tablet 4, entry 133:

     𒍣𒅁 𒄞 𒐼 𒀭𒌨𒄞 𒄫𒀸

     [zib GUD ša ^dUR.ZIB₃ girrum]

     zi‐ib GUD ša₂ ^dUR.ZIB₃ gir‐rum

     [Sign:] 𒄞 [Pronunciation:] zib, as in 𒀭𒌨𒄞 (^dUR.ZIB₃ /⁠urdib⁠/, “lion”)

Alternative forms

• gerru

Cuneiform spellings

Phonetic
𒄫𒊒 (gir-ru) 𒄀𒅕𒊒 (gi-ir-ru)

References

• “girru C”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[3], volume 5, G, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956, page 94
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “gerru II”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag