Number: 2031
Proto-Semitic: *dimāɣ-
Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology
Meaning: (top of the) head; brains
Arabic: dimāɣ- 'cervelle, cerveau' [BK 1 733]; dmɣ 'frapper à la tête au point d'attendre la cervelle' [ibid.]. Cf. dmh_ 'briser la tête' [ibid. 730] and dammaḥa 'pencher la tête' [ibid.]. An obviously haphazard coincidence of dimāɣ- with Neo-Persian damāɣ 'nose' (traditionally derived from Iranian *dam- 'to respire') has induced some authors to treat the ARB word as an Iranian loanword (cf. [Eilers 620]: "mit auch sonst bekannter semasiologischer Entwicklung"), which is untenable both for semantic reasons and in view of ETH cognates
Geʕez (Ethiopian): dǝmāḥ, dǝmāh_, dǝmāh 'head, crown of the head, skull, summit' [LGz 134]. The word structure is so close to ARB dimāɣ- that one may suspect an Arabism (cf. [ibid.] and [LGur 207]), though a difference in meaning rather speaks against this assumption
Tigre: cf. dämḳät 'crown of the head' [LH 515]; Leslau considers it an Arabic loanword with ɣ > ḳ [LGz 134], though there seems to be no ARB form with this vocalic pattern (while the root dmḳ in ARB means 'frapper à la bouche' [BK 1 733] and cannot be compared)
Amharic: dǝmah 'top of the head' [K 1720] (according to [LGz 134], probably from GEZ); ARG dǝmah 'head' [LGz 134]
Gafat: dǝmʷä 'tête' [LGaf 196]
East Ethiopic: SEL dum, WOL dumi 'head; hair of head' [LGur 207]
Notes: Not quite reliable: an isolated MHR dǝmēɣ 'cerveau' [SSL 272] is likely an Arabism; so may be at least part of ETH terms. However, W. Müller's suggestion quoted in [LGz 134] that GEZ dǝmāh_ is the original form and a cognate with, not a loanword from, ARB dimāɣ-, is plausible and rather than not confirmed by examples from modern ETH. Note also variations in the third radical both in ARB and GEZ.
[DRS 271]: ARB, ETH
semet-proto,semet-prnum,semet-meaning,semet-ara,semet-gzz,semet-tgr,semet-amh,semet-gaf,semet-east,semet-notes,
