Number: 2502
Proto-Semitic: *ṗVrɣVt_- ~ *ṗVrt_Vɣ-
Meaning: flea
Akkadian: peršaʔu (persʔau, perʔāšu, paršaʔu, paršuʔu, puršuʔu) 'Floh' OAkk. on [AHw. 855]. In OAkk. as a proper name only (perʔāšum) which is likely the most archaic variant of this word in Akkadian (note that in later periods only peršaʔum and puršuʔu are known from proper names). Outside onomastic evidence, p. is known from lexical lists (from OB) and a few literary texts.
Eblaitic: pur-ḫa-šúm [MEE 4 116 IV 9]. In a monolingual lexical list among other harmful insects (identified with the present root in [Sjöberg 18]).
Hebrew: parʕōš 'flea' [KB 971], pB. [Ja. 1236]. Known from two closely related passages 1S 24.15 and 26.20 as an expression for self-abasement ( ...ʔaḥărē mī ʔattā rōdēp ʔaḥărē käläb mēt ʔaḥărē parʕōš ʔäḥād '...Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, one single flea!'; ...yāṣā(ʔ) mäläk yiŝrāʔēl lǝbaḳ- ḳēš ʔät-parʕōš ʔäḥād... '...The king of Israel went to look for one single flea!').
Syrian Aramaic: purtaʕnā 'pullex' [Brock. 610], [PS 3315].
Arabic: burɣūt_-
Notes: Arb. burɣūt_- 'puce' [BK 1 113], [Fr. I 110], [Lane 189], [LA II 116] is often compared to the present root which could imply a reconstruction of *ṗ in this root (so already [Grimme 262]). In this connection, of interest is Jud. purṭaʕnā [Levy WTM IV 112] (for a similar variant form in Syr. see [PS 3315]) with an emphatic -ṭ- which may reflect a shift of emphasis from the first consonant. In Arabic cf. also barɣaš(at)- 'moucheron' [BK 1 113], [Fr. I 110], [TA XVII 74], a variant root with unexpected š? [Fron. 297]: *parɣūt_- 'pulce' (Arb., Syr., Hbr., Akk.); [Brock. 610], [KB 971]: Hbr., Akk., Arb., Syr.; [AHw. 855]: Hbr., Akk., Arb., Syr., Arm.; [Firmage 1155]: Akk., Hbr., Ugr. (prɣt, a proper name according to [DLU 354]; moreover, -t is hard to explain), Arm., Arb. (burɣūt_-).
