ssufs

• sufs, ssutf

From earlier *ssusf < ssutf, from Proto-Berber [Term?] (“to spit”), from Proto-Afroasiatic *tuf- (“to spit”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare with Proto-Indo-European *(s)ptyēw- (“to spit, to vomit”), whence English spew, and Persian تف (“to spittle, to spit”).

Cognate with Central Atlas Tamazight ssufes (“to spit”), Senhaja de Srair stutef, susef (“to spit”), Ghomara ṣuṣef (“to spit”), Tuareg sutǝf (“to spit”), Tarifit ssusef (“to spit”), Kabyle susef (“to spit”), Nefusa eskúfs (“to spit”), Sokna skúttĕf (“to spit”), Awjila škùtəf (“to spit”), Siwi sukǝf (“to spit”), Proto-Semitic *tup- (“to spit, to spit blood”), whence Aramaic tpp (“to spit”) & Arabic تَفَّ (taffa), تَفَلَ (tafala, “to spit”); Proto-Cushitic *tuf- (“to spit”), whence Oromo tufuu (“to spit”) & Somali tuf (“to spit”); Proto-Chadic *tVf(f)- (“to spit”)^[1], whence Hausa tóofà (“to spit”) & Bura tifu (“to spit”); and Egyptian tf (“to spit”).

ssufs (intensive aorist ssufus, verbal noun assufs, Tifinagh spelling ⵙⵙⵓⴼⵙ, Arabic spelling سّوفس)

1. to spit

   آد ور تسّوفوست غ واكال. ― ad ur tssufst ġ wakal ― don't spit on the ground.

   آر يسّوفوس يدامّن. ― ar issufus idammn. ― he's spitting blood

• assufs (“spit”)

• Stroomer, Harry (2025), Dictionnaire berbère tachelḥiyt-français — Tome 3 m—š (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 188/3) (in French), Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 2090a