Semitic etymology : Query result

Number: 2215

Proto-Semitic: *ŝabḥ- {} *ĉabḥ-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: fat (animal)

Geʕez (Ethiopian): ŝǝbḥ 'fat (n.); fatness, obesity'; ŝabḥa, sabḥa 'to be, grow fat' [LGz 525]

Tigre: šǝbeḥ

Tigrai (Tigriñña): sǝbḥ-i

Amharic: säb

Harari: säbaḥ 'fat (animal)' [LH 136]

Gurage: CHA MUH MSQ GOG sǝwä, EŽA sǝwwä, ENN GYE sǝwʔä, END sǝ̃wʔä 'animal fat' [LGur 531], EŽA MUH MSQ säbba, etc. 'to be fat, fatter than expected' [ibid.]

Mehri: ŝabḥ 'fat; corpulence' [LM 371]

Jibbali: ŝabḥ 'fat on meat; corpulence' [JJ 245]

Harsusi: ŝabḥ 'fat (n.)' [JH 118]

Notes: Also 'fatness'.

Scarce evidence in Southern SEM area only.

Note ARB šabḥ- 'large' [BK 1 1182]; a semantic shift 'fat' (n.) > 'fat' (adj.) > 'big, large' is not to be excluded. Cf. also ARB ḥāšib- 'qui a le ventre large' [ibid. 431], likely related with metathesis.

Cf. *ŝaḥm- {} *ĉaḥm- (No. ).

[LGz 525]: GEZ, ETH, JIB, HBR PB šbḥ 'grow in value', SYR šbḥ 'improve, raise in value' (in both latter examples, š is <*š {} *s and uncomparable either phonetically or semantically)