Number: 210
Proto-Semitic: *paraš-
Meaning: horse
Hebrew: pārāš 'team of horses, horses for a chariot; horseman' [KB 977]. According to [KB], all the textual attestations of p. belong to one lexeme whereas in [BDB 832] two lexemes are postulated: a primary noun (< *paraš-) and a derived nomen professionis (< *parrā̆š-). In the pl., only pārāšīm (< *parrā̆šīma) and not (*pǝrāšīm < *parā̆šīma) is attested which means that *paraš- was ousted by *parraš- at least by the epoque of the Massoretic vocalization (note that only the meaning 'horseman, knight' is attested in Hbr. pB. according to [Ja. 1243]). The meaning 'horse' for p. is postulated in a limited number of passages where it is paralleled by the main Hbr. term for (sūs), e.g. Jo 2.4: kǝmarʔē sūsīm marʔēhū // ūkǝpārāšīm kēn yǝrūṣūn 'they look like horses // and like p. they run'. See further [TDAT VI 782ff.].
Aramaic: Anc. prš 'horseman, cavalry-man' [HJ 945]. Hapax in KAI 202B 2 (lrkb [w]lprš, context fragmentary). Off. prš id. [ibid.]. Nab. prš id. [ibid.]. Plm. prš id. [ibid.] (v. [PAT 401]).
Judaic Aramaic: pārāš, det. pārāšā 'horseman, knight' [Ja. 1243], prš 'rider' [Sok. 451].
Syrian Aramaic: parrāšā 'eques' [Brock. 609], [PS 3308].
Mandaic Aramaic: paraša 'mounted soldier, horseman' [DM 363].
Arabic: faras- 'cheval ou jument', farasat- 'jument' [BK 2 568], [LA VI 159] (see further [Hommel 44ff.]).
Epigraphic South Arabian: Sab. frs1 'horse/mare; cavalryman, cavalry' [SD 46]. Qat. frs1 'Pferd' [Sima 71]. Hdr. ʔfrs1-n (pl.) 'Pferdeleiter' [ibid.]. The Hdr. and the Qat. terms are attested once in the respective languages whereas many dozens of examples are known for the Sab. terms (all passages and discussion v. in [Sima 63ff.]). Note that according to Sima the form ʔfrs1-n 'cavalry, horsemen' (Ja 1817 1-2) quoted in [Ricks 131] is Sabaic and not Qatabanian.
Geʕez (Ethiopian): faras 'horse' [LGz. 166].
Tigre: färäs 'horse' [LH 656].
Tigrai (Tigriñña): färäs 'cavallo' [Bass. 989].
Amharic: färäs 'horse, stallion' [K 2279].
Harari: Cf. färäz 'horse' [LHar. 65] (a Cushitism?).
Gurage: Sod. färäs (rest of Gur. färäz 'horse') [LGur. 244].
Mehri: fǝrháyn 'mare; horse' [JM 98].
Harsusi: ferhín 'mare; horse' [JH 34].
Notes: As rightly stressed in [Sima 71-2], the Eth. and MSA cognates seem to be quite deeply rooted in the respective branches of Semitic so that no borrowing from a WS source is conceivable. Soq. fírehim 'fille, jeune fille' [LS 341] is sometimes identified with the above MSA forms with a meaning shift. There is hardly any reason to connect with the present root Ugr. prs in KTU 4.392.1 (lḫmš mrkbt ḫmš ʕšrh prs 'for 5 chariots 15 p.') as it was suggested in [Dietrich-Loretz 193ff.], cf. more recent tranlsations like 'una pieza de carro' in [DLU 355] and 'die Masseinheit *parīsu' in [Tropper UG 43]. [LGz. 166]: Gez., Eth., Arb., ESA, Mhr., Arm., Hbr.; [KB 977]: Hbr., Arm., Arb., Gez., Tgr., ESA; [Brock. 609]: Syr., Arm., Arb., Hbr., Gez.
