October theme: Ancient Borrowings 𒅴

Teaser

mummy, muon

Full Text

• Afro-Asiatic *maʾ-

  • Egyptian 𓈗 mw water, rain, sea, lake

    • Egyptian *pꜣ-jḥ-mw the ox of water, hippopotamus? ^[1]

      • West Semitic *b-h-m beast, animal, dumb (speechless) ^[1]

        • Central Semitic

          • Arabic b-h-m animal, dumb, confused, dim

            • Arabic بهمة bahma lamb
            • Arabic بهيمة bahīma beast, head of cattle

              • Maltese bhima beast, animal
            • Arabic أبهم ʔabhama to obscure, to confuse, to conceal, to close off
            • Arabic بهيم bahīm dark, black, stupid
          • Canaanite

            • Hebrew בהמה behemá beast, animal

              • Arabic بهيمة bahīma beast, head of cattle

                • Maltese bhima beast, animal
              • Hebrew בהמות behemót behemoth, hippopotamus (late meaning) plural of augment? ^[1]

                • Latin behemoth

                  • Middle English behemoth

                    • English behemoth ^[1]
          • Ugaritic 𐎁𐎅𐎎𐎚 bhmt cattle, livestock plural
        • South Semitic

          • Ethiopic

            • Geʿez ብህመ bəhmä to be dumb, to be speechless
      • Hebrew בהמות behemót behemoth, hippopotamus (late meaning) plural of augment? ^[1]

        • Latin behemoth

          • Middle English behemoth

            • English behemoth ^[1]
    • Demotic Egyptian mw

      • Coptic ⲙⲟⲟⲩ moou water
      • Egyptian Arabic امبو ʾumbū water, drink childish
      • Classical Greek μῦ mû

        • Greek μι mi
        • English mu

          • English muon
  • Tamazight *am-an

    • Northern Tamazight

      • Atlas Tamazight

        • Tashelhit ⴰⵎⴰⵏ aman water
      • Kabyle aman water
    • Tuareg

      • Tamahaq aman water
  • Chadic

    • West Chadic

      • Tangale am water
  • Cushitic

    • South Cushitic

      • Iraqw ma'ay water
  • Semitic *maʾ-

    • East Semitic

      • Akkadian 𒀀 mû water
    • South Semitic

      • Sabaean 𐩣𐩥 mw water
      • Ethiopic

        • Geʿez ማይ māy water
    • Central Semitic

      • Classical Arabic مَاء‏ māʾ water, liquid, juice

        • Egyptian Arabic مية‏ máyya(t) water
        • Maghrebi Arabic

          • Moroccan Arabic ما mā water
          • Sicilian Arabic

            • Maltese ilma water
        • Peninsular Arabic

          • Hijazi Arabic مويَة mōya(t) water, body of water
      • Northwest Semitic

        • Aramaic 𐡌𐡉𐡀 mayyā water
        • Canaanite

          • Hebrew מַיִם máyim water
          • Phoenician 𐤌𐤌 mm water

            • Classical Greek μῦ mû

              • Greek μι mi
              • English mu

                • English muon
        • Middle Persian *mōm wax

          • Armenian մոմ mom wax, candle
          • Persian موم mum wax, candle

            • Ottoman Turkish موم‏ mûm

              • Turkish mum candle
            • Hindi मोम mom wax

              • Hindi मोमबत्ती mombattī candle
            • Persian مومیا mumiyâ waxy substance covering mummies, mummy

              • Tajik

                • Russian мумиё mumijó mineral tar, mountain balsam, shilajit

                  • English mumijo
              • Classical Arabic مُومِيَاء‏ mūmiyāʾ mummy

                • Andalusi Arabic

                  • Spanish momia mummy
                • Egyptian Arabic موميا‏ mūmiyā mummy
                • Medieval Latin mumia mummy

                  • French momie mummy

                    • English mummy

                      • Irish mumaí mummy
                  • Italian mummia mummy
                • ?

                  • Literary Chinese 木乃伊

                    • Mandarin 木乃伊 mùnǎiyī mummy
                    • Cantonese 木乃伊 muk⁶ naai⁵ ji¹ mummy

Visual

Collected English words

mu, muon, mumijo, mummy, behemoth

Footnotes

1. ^

   The Behemoth—long associated with hippopotamus—has been speculated to be from unattested Egyptian *pꜣ-jḥ-mw»1: "the ox of water". Either directly to Biblical Hebrew, or to West Semitic as the origin of the root *b-h-m: "beast, animal, unspeaking". But it's only speculation. The Hebrew word now also means "hippopotamus", but that is a later semantic addition based on the same long association.