mīnum

Akkadian

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈmiː.num/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *mīn- (“what”). Cognate with Ge'ez ምንት (mənt) and Ugaritic 𐎎𐎐𐎎 (mnm, “whatever, anything”).

Pronoun

mīnum (from Old Akkadian on)

1. (interrogative) what?

   𒈪𒉆 𒂊𒇷𒅀 𒋾𒋗 [mīnam elīya tīšu?] ― mi-nam e-li-ia ti-šu ― What do I owe you?

2. (relative) what, whatever
3. (interrogative) why?, what for?, for what reason?

Alternative forms

• mīnu (non-mimated)
• minû, minûm (Babylonian)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒂗𒉆 (EN.NAM) (mathematics) 𒂗𒈾 (EN.NA) (mathematics, Middle/Neo-Babylonian) 𒂗 (EN) (mathematics, Middle/Neo-Babylonian)	𒈪𒉡𒌝 (mi-nu-um) 𒈨𒉡𒌝 (mi₃-nu-um) 𒈨𒉏 (mi₃-num) 𒈪𒉡𒌑 (mi-nu-u₂) 𒈨𒉡𒌋 (mi₃-nu-u) 𒈪𒄿𒉡 (mi-i-nu) 𒈨𒄿𒉡 (mi₃-i-nu) 𒈪𒉡 (mi-nu)

Derived terms

• ana mīnim (“why?”)

References

• “mīnu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “mīnu(m) I”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag

Etymology 2

From manûm (“to count”).

Noun

mīnum m (from Old Babylonian on)

1. number

   𒈪𒉡𒌝 𒌑𒌌 𒊏𒁉 [mīnum ul rabi] ― mi-nu-um u₂ ra-bi ― (Their) number is not big.

   𒀉𒋾 𒀲𒆳𒊏𒎌 𒆷 𒈪𒉆 [itti sīsê lā mīnam] ― it-ti ANŠE.KUR.RA.MEŠ la mi-nam ― with countless horses

2. accounting
3. shape, good look, figure

Alternative forms

• mīnu (non-mimated)
• minnu (Neo-Assyrian)

Cuneiform spellings

Phonetic
𒈪𒉡𒌝 (mi-nu-um) 𒈪𒉡 (mi-nu)

Derived terms

• minûtum (“amount”)

References

• “mīnu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “mīnu(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag