Afroasiatic etymology : List with all references

Proto-Afro-Asiatic: *ĉiwam-

Meaning: rat

Semitic: *ŝVm- 'kind of mouse, rat'

East Chadic: *ĉVwVm- 'rat'

Notes: Scarce data. Cf. CCh *sVHwVm- ~ *HusVm- 'rat: Mofu-Gudur séhwem 2 [BaMof], Logone úχsemii 1 [LkLog].

Number: 2526

Proto-Semitic: *ŝVm-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: kind of mouse, rat

Akkadian: ušummu, šummu 'Gartenschläfer' ("Rörichtmaus") OB, SB [AHw. 1443] (forms without u- are known from later texts only). Textual attestations are treated in much detail in a special study [Englund 45ff.]. According to Englund, u. is to be identified with the bandicoot rat and not dormouse as previoulsy thought. See also [Landsberger Fauna 107-8], [Salonen Jagd 235].

Eblaitic: ù-šu-mu-um [MEE 4 116 II 5]. In a monolingual list of animals, identified with Akk. ušummu in [Englund 44].

Arabic: šīm- 'rat' (pl.) [BK 2 1300], [Fr. II 473], [TA old VIII 363]. Cf. šayham- 'porc-épic' [BK 1 1283], [Fr. II 462], [LA XII 328].

Notes: One wonders whether Tgr. sämäwa 'bat' [LH 174] can be connected with this root. An alternative derivation from PS *šamāy- 'sky' is attractive but note that this root is not reflected in Tgr. (sämāy is considered a Tna. word in [LH 175]).

Afroasiatic etymology :

Semitic etymology :

East Chadic etymology :