Though ARB and MSA only, rather a common SEM root: the MSA words being main terms for 'bone' can hardly be loan-words from ARB, with its very specified meaning. There is also SOQ ʕáẓ̂eẓ̂ meaning 'noyau (substance)', with a tenable semantic development (cf. RUS косточка 'stone in fruits', literally 'little bone') and 'force' [LS 323]; on a presumed semantic shift 'bone' > 'force' see Introduction.
Cf. ETH *ʕiṣ̂ṣ̂- or *ʕinṣ̂- 'lot, die (for playing dice)', possibly related (for the same meaning shift, cf. RUS кость meaning both 'bone' and 'playing die'): GEZ ʕǝḍā, ʕǝḍ [LGz 57] (compared by Leslau to ARB ʕiḍat- 'piece, portion', which he strangely relates to ARB ḥaẓẓ- 'fortune, luck', HBR ḥēṣ 'arrow' and UGR ḥẓ 'lucky'; the comparison by Fleisch to GEZ ʕǝḍ 'tree' is also quoted [ibid.]), TGR ʕǝṣ, pl. ʕaṣaṣ [LH 490], TNA ʕič̣č̣a, ʕǝṣa [Bass 712, 713]; AMH ǝṭa [K 1334], ARG ǝṭa [LGz 57]; EAST: HAR ḥǝṭa, ḥiṭa [LHar 88], SEL ǝnṭ, hǝnṭ (for HAR ḥ sporadically <*ʕ, cf. Introduction; on similar cases in SEL see [LGur LXIV]), WOL ǝnṭ, ZWY ǝṭa [ibid. 107]; GUR: CHA EZ̆A MUH äṭ, MSQ GOG SOD äṭa, END ǝṭä, ENN GYE ärṭ, MUH äṭwät, GOG ǝnč̣ä [LGur 107]. In Leslau's opinion, changed later (cf. [LGz 57]), all ETH forms are from E. CUSH: OROMO, SID, DARASA hiṭa.
Cf. *ʕaṣay- 'backbone' (No. ) and *ʕat_̣m-(at-) 'bone' (No. )
