Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ṯamar-

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

Etymology 1

Verb

*ṯamar-

  1. to stare at; to attend to, to be fixed at, to stay by

Inflection

Conjugation of *ṯamar- (paʕala)
verbal noun *ṯamr-
active participle *ṯāmir-
passive participle *ṯamīr-, *ṯamūr-
singular dual plural
1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
perfect m *ṯamarku *ṯamarka *ṯamara *ṯamarkayā *ṯamarkā *ṯamarā *ṯamarna *ṯamarkanu *ṯamarū
f *ṯamarki *ṯamarat *ṯamaratā *ṯamarkina *ṯamarā
imperfect m *ʔaṯmar *taṯmar *yiṯmar *taṯmarā *yaṯmarā *niṯmar *taṯmarū *yiṯmarū
f *taṯmarī *taṯmar *taṯmarā *taṯmarā *yiṯmarā
imperative m *ṯamar *ṯamarā *ṯamarū
f *ṯamarī *ṯamarā
Descendants
  • East Semitic:
    • Akkadian: 𒊭𒈠𒊒𒌝 (/⁠šamārum⁠/, to rear up, to be enraged, to glower)
  • West Semitic:
    • Arabic:
    • Arabic: ثَمَلَ (ṯamala, to stay, to remain staying; to assist, to stand by)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Hebrew: שָׁמַר (šāmár, to guard)
      • Aramaic: תמרא (timrā), תימרא (timrā), תימורא (timōrā), תמורתא (timmūrtā)

Etymology 2

Since reaping crops requires tending to them, in contrast with abandoning a place in a nomadic way of life, it can be derived from the verb “looking at, watching, attending to” above.

Noun

*ṯamar- m

  1. fruit, crop
  2. produce, gain
  3. profit, riches

Inflection

Declension of *ṯamar-
case singular dual plural
nominative *ṯamarum *ṯamarāna plural stem + *-ūna
accusative *ṯamaram *ṯamarayna plural stem + *-īna
genitive *ṯamarim
possessive forms
1st person *ṯamarī / *ṯamarVya *ṯamarVni
2nd person m *ṯamarVka *ṯamarVkumā / *ṯamarVkumay *ṯamarVkum(ū)
2nd person f *ṯamarVki *ṯamarVkin(ā)
3rd person m *ṯamarVšu *ṯamarVšumā / *ṯamarVšumay *ṯamarVšum(ū)
3rd person f *ṯamarVša *ṯamarVšin(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: *ṯamaruya for nom. case, *ṯamariya for gen. case, *ṯamaraya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants
  • West Semitic:
    • Arabic: ثَمَر (ṯamar)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: תמרא (tamrā, tamrē, təmārā)
    • Old South Arabian:
      • Sabaean: 𐩻𐩣𐩧 (ṯmr)
    • Ethiosemitic:
      • Ge'ez: ሰምር (sämr), ሰመር (sämär)

Further reading

  • Ehret, Christopher (1995), Reconstructing Proto-Afroasiatic (Proto-Afrasian): Vowels, Tone, Consonants, and Vocabulary (University of California Publications in Linguistics; 126), Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 266, supposes a Proto-Afroasiatic *tsam- (fruit, seed, foliage)