Afroasiatic etymology : List with all references

Proto-Afro-Asiatic: *ĉayṗ-

Meaning: foot, sole; shoe

Semitic: *ŝayṗ- 'foot, sole of foot; shoe'

Egyptian: šp 'hoof' (Gr)

Beḍauye (Beja): šib 'to shoe', šab 'to be shod, put on one's footgear'

Central Cushitic (Agaw): *šanp/b- 'foot, heel'

South Cushitic: *ʔi-šib- 'sandal'

Number: 100

Proto-Semitic: *ŝayṗ-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: foot, sole of foot; shoe

Akkadian: šēpu, šēpītu 'foot' OAkk on [CAD š2 295], [AHw 1214-1215]

Aramaic: Off. šp 'mesure of length (?)' [HJ 1181] (given as one of possible interpretations)

Syrian Aramaic: šēpā 'scapus (caligae); mucro nasi' [Brock 794] (with š- instead of the expected s-)

Arabic: šabāt- 'chaque côté de la chaussure' [BK 1 1188]; šbb (IV) 'faire faire au cheval un sobresaut et lever à la fois les deux pieds de devant' [BK 1 1181] (also šabūb- 'qui en courant pose les pieds de manière que ceux de derrière laissent des traces au delà de ceux de devant' [ibid.]), šbw 'se cabrer (se dit d'un cheval)' [ibid. 1188]

Tigre: (?) sabo 'inheritance' (poet.) [LH 183]; can this represent a semantic shift from 'foot, trace'?

Amharic: šǝbšäba (redupl.) 'handclapping or stamping on the feet with rythmic movement of the body in time to music' [K 637]

Gurage: (?) ENN GYE čämba, END čämbä 'sole of foot serving as measure' [LGur 173].

Though regarded by Leslau as loans from C. CUSH (QUARA šānba, šanpā, BILIN šanfi etc.), these examples rather represent cases of GUR č rendering *š; see [LGur LXII]

Mehri: ŝaf 'trace, track(s)' [JM 373]

Jibbali: ŝɛf, pl. ɛŝfɔ́f 'trace, track, foot under the ankle' [JJ 246]

Soqotri: ŝab 'pied' [LS 424].

The dual ŝafi (ŝaʔfi) quoted in [JJ 246] as ŝaf on a par with ŝab, is interpreted in [LS 37] as a secondary development allegedly current in SOQ, of b> b_> f before i. Cf. HADIBO ŝab, but QALAN-B ŝ^haf 'jambe, pied' et al. [SSL LS 1472]. Cf. ʕAbd-el-Kuri ŝɔ̄f, sāf 'pied, jambe' [SSL 4 97]

Notes: A hypothetic *-ṗ is based first of all on AKK p- vs. SOQ -b (note also cases of -f in MSA) and, with reservations, on GUR -mb; if GUR examples are related, the PSEM form may be reconstructed as *ŝVmṗ- {} *ĉVmṗ-. Other arguments, though weaker because of a presumed meaning change, are ARM -p vs. ARB -b (and, less likely, MOD ETH -b).

Cf. CUSH terms meaning 'foot', 'heel' and 'shoe' reconstructed by Dolgopolsky as *ĉV[m]ṗ- [SIFKY 120-21].

Also 'trace, track' (see MSA)

Two other terms, each questionable in a way, may originate from the meaning 'foot as measure': ARM OFF and GUR above.

[LS 424]: SOQ, AKK

Old Egyptian: šp

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'hoof' (Gr)

Bedauye: šib 1, šab 2

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'to shoe' 1, 'to be shod, put on one's footgear' 2

Proto-Agaw: *šanp/b-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'foot, heel'

Bilin: šaanfi

Qwara: šaanpaa

Dembea: šanfa

Qemant: šaambaa

Proto-South Cushitic: *ʔi-šib-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'sandal'

Asa-Aramanic: išiba

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Egyptian etymology :

Bedauye (Beja) etymology :

Central Cushitic (Agaw) etymology :

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