Semitic etymology : Query result

Number: 2087

Proto-Semitic: *ḥi/aḳʷ-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: hip, loin, lap

Ugaritic: /ḥēḳu/ 'lap' [Huehner 124] (alphabetically not attested)

Hebrew: ḥēḳ 'lap' [KB 312].

Possibly < *ḥiḳw- with a loss of -w (cf. rēaʕ 'companion, friend' <*riʕw- ?), though the spelling plene ḥyḳ rather speaks for proto HBR *ḥayḳ-

Judaic Aramaic: ḥēḳā 'lap, bossom' [Ja 460]

Arabic: ḥaḳw-, ḥiḳw- 'cette partie du corps qui est au bas des côtes; ceinture' [BK 1 469]

Epigraphic South Arabian: SAB ḥḳw-nhn, ḥḳw-y (du.) 'loins' [SD 69]

Geʕez (Ethiopian): ḥaḳʷe (also ḥawḳe, ḥawḳʷe) 'hip, loin' [LGz 239].

The final -e from *-ay may be interpreted as a remnant of the dual ending or as the result of a metathesis < *ḥayḳʷ-)

Tigre: ḥǝḳäḳ (pl.) 'hips, loin' [LH 77].

Cf. ḥaḳḳat (pl.) 'sides', ḥeḳaḳ 'slope of a mountain' [ibid.]

Tigrai (Tigriñña): ḥǝḳʷe 'lombo' [Bass 50] (-e < *-ay)

Harari: ḥač̣i 'back of the body' [LHar 79] (-č̣ < *-ḳ before a front vowel)

East Ethiopic: SEL anč̣ä, ZWY anč̣i (with a secondary nasalization?) do. [LGur 56]

Gurage: MSQ anḳ'ä do. [LGur 72]

Mehri: QISHN ḥā́ḳǝw 'taille' [SSL 2 220] (unless an Arabism)

Jibbali: ḥaḳḥéḳ 'hip(s), hip-bone(s)' [JJ 108] (redupl.)

Soqotri: (?) QALAN-V ḥanṣ̌ǝ̄ḳɔh d-r^hɛy (d-ṭā́deʕ) 'haut de la colonne vertébrale' [SSL 4 95].

<*ḥanḳVḳ-at- with a secondary -n-? Note that r^hɛy is 'head', ṭā́deʕ is 'back'

Notes: Otherwise *ḥayḳʷ-.

Of interest is -n- in ETH EAST (SEL and ZWY) and SOQ; may it imply -n- in the proto-form?

Note ETH *ḥaḳʷay with metathesis.

While MHR ḥāḳǝw 'taille' may be an Arabism, JIB ḥaḳḥéḳ 'hip(s), hip-bone(s)' looks genuine; both MHR ḥāḳǝw [JM 176] and JIB ḥɔ́ḳɛ 'belt' [JJ 108] are clearly Arabisms.

See prepositions and adverbs likely derived from this anatomic term in ETH and MSA: TGR ḥaḳo 'after, behind' [LH 76], EAST: SEL anč̣ä, ZWY anč̣i 'backwards' [LGur 56], GUR: anḳ'ä and related words forming part of prepositions 'after, behind' [LGur 72]; MSA: MHR mǝn ḥǝḳ 'inside (prep.)' [JM 175], HRS men ḥeḳ 'inside' [JH 58].

Cf. AMH ǝḳ, euphemism for genitalia; also 'things, objects, baggage, household furniture' [K 1183]. The meaning 'genitalia' may be derived from 'things, objects', but a reverse development is also possible, with 'genitalia' to have derived from non-attested 'hip, loin, lap'; see a parallel meaning shift in *ga/ibr-.

Cf. [Maizel 220]; [KB 312]: HBR, ARM, ARB, GEZ, TGR; [LGz 239]: GEZ, ETH, ARB, ESA, MHR, HBR