išātum

Akkadian

𒉈 (išātum)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔiš- (“fire”). Cognate with Biblical Hebrew אֵשׁ (ʔeš) and Ugaritic 𐎛𐎌𐎚 (ỉšt /⁠ʔiššatu⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /iˈʃaː.tum/

Noun

išātum f (plural išātātum) (from Old Assyrian/Old Babylonian on)

1. fire
   • BRM 4, 06, Clay, Albert T., 1923, Lunar eclipse rituals, line 18:

     𒀀𒁲 𒀭𒈪 𒌑𒉆𒈥 𒉈 𒀸 𒌋𒅗𒄭 𒂵𒊩𒆪 𒆷 𒋼𒉈𒇷

     ⟨a-di AN.GE₆ u₂-nam-mar IZI ina muḫ-ḫi ga-rak-ku la te-bel-le⟩

     adi antallû unammar išātu ina muḫḫi garakku lā tebelle

     Until the eclipse becomes light, the fire on the altar must not be extinguished.

Alternative forms

• išātu (non-mimated)
• ešātu (El-Amarna)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒉈 (IZI) 𒉈𒎌 (IZI.MEŠ) (Middle Assyrian, Neo-Assyrian)	𒄿𒊭𒀀𒌈 (i-ša-a-tum) 𒄿𒊭𒌈 (i-ša-tum) 𒄿𒃻𒌈 (i-ša₂-tum) 𒄿𒃻𒌓 (i-ša-tu₂)

References

• “išātu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011