urḫum

Akkadian

Root
'-r-ḫ
1 term

𒌫𒄷𒌝 (urḫum)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔurḫ- (“road”). Cognate with Biblical Hebrew אֹרַח (ʾóraḥ, “way, path”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈur.χum/

Noun

urḫum f or m (construct state uruḫ, pronominal state uruḫ or urḫa, plural urḫū or urḫātum f or urḫānu) (from Old Assyrian/Old Babylonian on)

1. road, path, way

   𒀀𒇷𒅅 𒌨𒄭𒅎 [ālik urḫim] ― a-li-ik ur-ḫi-im ― traveller

   𒌑𒊒𒄴 𒊭𒈨𒂊 [uruḫ šamê] ― u₂-ru-uḫ ša-me-e ― way of life (literally, “heavenly path”)

   𒌑𒊒𒄴 𒊭𒁲𒅎 [uruḫ šadîm] ― u₂-ru-uḫ ša-di-im ― mountain path

   𒌨𒄩𒋗 𒄿𒅋𒆷𒀝 [urḫašu illak] ― ur-ḫa-šu i-il-la-ak ― he goes his own way

Alternative forms

• urḫu (non-mimated)
• arḫu (Assyrian, Boghazkeui)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
(pseudologogram, rare) 𒌚 (ITI)	𒌫𒄷𒌝 (ur₂-ḫu-um) 𒌨𒄷 (ur-ḫu) (accusative) 𒌨𒄩𒄠 (ur-ḫa-am) (accusative) 𒌨𒄩 (ur-ḫa) (genitive) 𒌨𒄭𒅎 (ur-ḫi-im) (construct state) 𒌑𒊒𒄴 (u₂-ru-uḫ)

References

• “urḫu A”, 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) “urḫu(m) I”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag