Number: 2147
Proto-Semitic: *liš(š)ān- {} *lis(s)ān-
Meaning: tongue; language
Akkadian: lišānu 'tongue, language' OB on [CAD l 209], [AHw 556]
Eblaitic: li-sa-nu /lišānu(m)/ [Kr 7-8; Bl E No. 66]
Ugaritic: lšn [DLU 249]; /lašānu/ [Huehner 143]
Phoenician: lasoun [HJ 584] (in Diosc.)
Hebrew: lāšōn [KB 536]
Aramaic: SAMAL OLD DAL OFF lšn 'language; folk, people' (WARKA li-iš-šá-an) [HJ 584], HERTEVIN neššala [J Hert 195] (metath.)
Biblical Aramaic: liššānā [KB deutsch 1732]
Judaic Aramaic: līšānā [Ja 710]; läššān (lyšn) [Sok 282]
Syrian Aramaic: leššānā [Brock 371]
Modern Aramaic: MAL liššōna 'Zunge' [Berg 54] MLḤS lešono 'Zunge' [J Mlah 181] HRT neššala 'Zunge' [J Hert 195] NASS lišǟnä 'tongue' [Tser 0119] URM lis,ǝnǝ 'tongue, language' [R Urmi 100] ZKH līšana 'tongue' [R Zakhon 108] M MND lišān, emph. lišāna 'language, tongue' [M MND 508, 523] GZR lišána 'tongue, language' [Nak 78] AZRB liššana (northern subdialect), lišana (southern subdialect) 'tongue, language' [Garb 317] IRAN lišâna 'la lingua' [Pen 97]
Mandaic Aramaic: lišana [DM 237]
Arabic: lisān- [BK 2 991]
Epigraphic South Arabian: SAB ls1n [SD 83]
Geʕez (Ethiopian): lǝssan [LGz 318]. -ss- is supported by recent studies like [Mäk Arg 199]
Tigre: lǝs(s)an [LH 36], nǝssal [ibid. 325]
Tigrai (Tigriñña): lǝs(s)an [Bass 20]
Amharic: lǝs(s)an [K 58]
Mehri: ɛwšēn/lǝšōn [JM 256]
Jibbali: ɛls̃ɛ́n [JJ 165]
Harsusi: lēšen [JH 85]
Soqotri: léšin [LS 236], [SSL LS 1466]
Notes: Judging from AFRASIAN data the original form should be *lis-, with suffixed *-ān. The reduplicated -ss- in ARM and ETH suggests a derived noun of the verb *lšš {} *lss 'to lick', if not for the fact that the latter is attested only in ARB lss 'lécher; manger' [BK 2 989]. Cf., however, variant roots: ARB lws 'goûter; tourner un morceau dans la bouche' [ibid. 1041], lhs 'lêcher' [ibid. 1032]; SEM *lḥš {} *lḥs 'to lick': ARB lḥs [ibid. 937], ETH *lḥs [LGz 311] and, possibly, AKK lâšu 'to taste, lick' [CAD l 111] which may as well be from *lhš related directly to ARB lhs; for AFRASIAN cf. HAUSA lā̀sā́ 'to lick' [Abr 615], likely <*lHs, see [O-S 356], but possibly an Arabism [Fron 45] (*lišān- 'lingua' /GEZ,ARB,SYR,HBR,UGR,AKK/) [Holma 25]: AKK,HBR,SYR,ARB,GEZ (discussion on possible verbal origins of the root in question quoting ARB lhs, lḥs eventually refuting this hypothesis) [DLU 249]: UGR,ARM,PHO,HBR,EBL,AKK,ESA,ARB,GEZ [KB 536]: HBR,ARM,UGR,ARM,AKK,ARB,GEZ,TGR (quoting ARB lss as a possible origin of this word) [Brock 371]: SYR,ARM,HBR,ARB,AKK,GEZ [LGz 318]: GEZ,ETHSEM,ESA,ARB,SO Q,HBR,ARM,UGR,AKK [LS 236]: SOQ,MSA,ARB,HBR,ARM,GEZ,AKK
semet-proto,semet-prnum,semet-meaning,semet-akk,semet-ebl,semet-uga,semet-phn,semet-hbr,semet-arm,semet-bib,semet-jud,semet-syr,semet-new,semet-mnd,semet-ara,semet-sar,semet-gzz,semet-tgr,semet-tgy,semet-amh,semet-mhr,semet-jib,semet-hss,semet-soq,semet-notes,