Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/śahr-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic

Noun

*śahr- m

moon (uncertain if it was fully synonymous to *warḫ-, could mean specifically new moon or crescent)

Inflection

Declension of *śahr-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*śahrum	*śahrāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*śahram	*śahrayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*śahrim	*śahrayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	śahrī / śahrVya	—	*śahrVni
2^nd person m	*śahrVka	śahrVkumā / śahrVkumay	*śahrVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*śahrVki	śahrVkumā / śahrVkumay	*śahrVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*śahrVšu	śahrVšumā / śahrVšumay	*śahrVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*śahrVša	śahrVšumā / śahrVšumay	*śahrVšin(ā)

the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *śahruya for nom. case, *śahriya for gen. case, *śahraya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

*śahr-
- East Semitic:
  - >? Akkadian: 𒇡 (sa-ʾ-ru /⁠saʾru⁠/, “ring”)
- West Semitic:
  - Central Semitic:
    - Arabic: شَهْر (šahr)
      - Algerian Arabic: شهر (šhar)
      - Cypriot Arabic: şaxr
      - Egyptian Arabic: شهر (šahr)
      - Gulf Arabic: شهر (šahar)
      - Hijazi Arabic: شهر (šahar)
      - Maltese: xahar
      - Moroccan Arabic: شهر (šhar)
      - South Levantine Arabic: شهر (šahr)
      - Tunisian Arabic: شهر (šhar)
    - Northwest Semitic:
      - Aramaic: סַהֲרָא / שַׂהֲרָא (sahărāʾ)
        Eastern Aramaic:
        Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܣܲܗܪܵܐ (sahrā)
        
        Classical Mandaic: ࡎࡉࡓࡀ (sira)
        
        Classical Syriac: ܣܗܪܐ (sahrā)
        
        Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: סֵיהֲרָא (sêhărāʾ)
        
        Turoyo: ܨܗܪܐ (ṣahro)
        
        Western Aramaic:
        Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: סִיהֲרָא (sîhărāʾ)
      - Canaanite:
        Biblical Hebrew: שַׂהַר (sáhar, śáhar) ‎→ Hebrew: סַהַר (sáhar, “crescent”)
    - South Semitic:
      - Old South Arabian: 𐩦𐩠𐩧 (s²hr)
        Minaean: 𐩦𐩠𐩧 (s²hr)
        
        Qatabanian: 𐩦𐩠𐩧 (s²hr)
        
        Sabaean: 𐩦𐩠𐩧 (s²hr)
      - Southeastern Semitic:
        Mehri: ڛێهر (śēhər)
        
        Shehri: śɛhər
        
        Soqotri: ڛهر (śɛhɛr)
      - Ethiopian Semitic:
        Ge'ez: ሣህር (śahr)
*śahr-at-
- East Semitic:
  - >? Akkadian: [Term?] (/⁠šērtu⁠/, “brilliance”)
*śahr-ān-
- West Semitic:
  - Central Semitic:
    - Northwest Semitic:
      - Canaanite:
        Biblical Hebrew: שַׂהֲרוֹן (saharón, śahărṓn, “ornament shaped like a small moon”, literally “little moon”)
*śuhr- (CaCC- ‎→ CuCC-)
- West Semitic:
  - Central Semitic:
    - Northwest Semitic:
      - Canaanite:
        Biblical Hebrew: *שׂהַר (śóhar) ‎→ Hebrew: סוהר / סֹהַר (sóhar, “prison”, literally “round (moon shaped?) enclosure”)

References

Klein, Ernest (1987), “סַהַר”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 436
Leslau, Wolf (1987), “śāhr”, in Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, reprinted 1991, 1997 and 2006
Clay, Albert T. (1915), “Miscellaneous Inscriptions in the Yale Babylonian Collection”, Yale Oriental Series, Babylonian Texts, volume 1, page 94
Jeffery, Arthur (1938), The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 186–187
“shr”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
“šērtu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011, page 327
Kogan, Leonid (2015), Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 34