E 0450          HLĘST

The Old English word "hlęst" is of Germanic origin

H 0031         ץ ל א

Concept of root: charge

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

א ל ץ

*alats ; illets

charge, pressure

Related English words

last ; Old English : hlęst

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

א ל ץ

*alats ; illets

charge, pressure

a l . ts

Old English

hlęst

charge

hl . s t

English

last

last

l . s t

Dutch

last

last

charge, pressure

l . s t

German

Last

last

charge

l . s t

 

 

Proto-Semitic *ALATS --- *LAST- Indo-European

 

 

There is possibly a metathesis between Germanic and Hebrew words, respectively "TS" and "ST". The alternative possibility is that both groups have shaped the final sound after an original "S", with Germanic placing a "T" at the end, which is far from uncommon. This is one of more ways of expressing oneself more strongly. Up till today in some Dutch dialects, specifically in The Hague, people do emphasize their pronunciation of words by adding such a non-grammatically recommended "T".

 

It must be remarked that in the Nordic languages there are Old Norse and Norwegian "elta", Swedish "älta" and Danish "älte" that all mean " to knead". And in Old Norse also "to hunt, drive". These meanings might be seen as somewhere far off related to the "charge" and "pressure" of this entry.

 

Hebrew more often may change an "S" into "TS". For this reason scholars group together words with "S", "SH" and "ST".

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is found in various branches of Aramaic (elats = he pressed) and, with a meaning of " to close " also in Akkadian "shūlutsu". Therefore it is possible that Proto-Semitic also had this root "א ל ץ *Aleph . L . TS ".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. An existing view sees a Proto-Germanic "*hlasta", developed out of an earlier "*hlassa". Another opinion, based on a supposed development out of the existing Germanic form "LAD-", that is used in many verbs with the message of "to charge" , sees an original "*hladhsta". We believe that the nouns for "charge" and the verbs for "to charge" may have a common origin, but that does not mean that one developed out of the other. The common origin may be a "*LAD", from which both the verbal forms like the infinite "LADEN" and a noun "*LADS" have been developed. The noun must then have undergone a metathesis between the "D" and the "S", a quite common event in Germanic. The next step is the change from final "D" into final "T", that easily occurs, especially after an "S" : "*LADS > LAST". Then, another Germanic game is the adding of an initial "H", and we see Proto-Germanic "*HL A ST-, which is generally accepted.

     

 

Note:
  • Indo-European We have no indication from outside Germanic. So this root and meaning may not have lived on in the other groups, but Indo-European should have had its original word, without the initial "H" and with a predecessor "T" for the Germanic "D" : "*L A ST-".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 24/09/2012 at 12.34.59