E 0025          AMASS

The word "amass" is, via Old French, of Latin origin .

H 0150            ס מ ע

Concept of root : to amass

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ס מ ע

amas

to amass, charge

Related English words

amass from Latin

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ס מ ע

amas

to amass,

charge

‛a m s

Greek

αμαω

amao

to amass

 a m

Old Norse

ama

ama

to charge

 a m

Latin

commas-

sare

commas-

sare

to amass

 a m s

Italian

ammassare

ammassare

to amass

.a m s

 

 

Proto-Semitic *‛AMAS --- *AMA-, MAS- Indo-European

 

 

This seems a near perfect similarity, and perhaps it is. The Latin and Italian words are shaped with a preposition as prefix. Latin has used "com", a well-known prefix in English loanwords of Latin origin. We usually indicate Latin as source, even if there has been an intermediate passage, via French.

 

The Italian word comes from older French, and uses the prefix "ad" instead of "com". Italian is a great assimilatrix of consonants. We have cited it as it is different from Latin and nearer to English and Hebrew.

 

All these languages know also the shorter root without prefix. English has "mass", Latin and Italian "massa" . Greek has "μαζα , maza", but this has a second meaning "loaf of bread" that has become the principal one.

 

Note:
  • Greek uses this same word also for "to harvest". Its verb "μα-σσ-ω , masso" , without the opening vowel A but with the S as in the other languages, says "to join, adhere" and remains not too far from the concept of this entry.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew, as the others , has a word " מ ס ה , massą" with the same meaning. And it uses another one, " מ ש א, massą " also to say "charge" or "carry". We believe that in the word "‛amas " of this entry the "Ayin + vowel A" have been added to an older root "M S". This in the same way the other tongues have added prepositions as prefixes. In this list under the "MEM" or M we will find various related words.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. We find cognates in Aramaic , Syriac and Ugaritic, and probably this root had already been shaped in Proto-Semitic : "* ע מ ס, Ayin Mem Samekh " .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. We find Old Norse "ama = to charge"" and Norwegian "ama" to insist, push somebody to do" . Besides we have in Norwegian "amla = to work hard, make efforts (not necessarily successful)", found in entry GD 1032A (Hebrew 0147A, PAGE IN PREPARATION) and related to Hebrew. German "emsig" and Old High German "emiz" express perseverance or pushing action and may be related to the Hebrew root "ע מ ס. Ayin M S, amas= to charge, load, to carry a load". Proto-Germanic besides "*A M" probably had already "*A M L" and "*A M Z/S", being in this case very near to Hebrew.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. The Greek noun "maza" , via the Latin loanword "massa" has found its way into many modern languages. The verb "amao = to amass" shows a root without a second consonant "S", and that should mean that it has a brief root, to which the " S " has not yet been added. Without further relative information from other language groups, the hypothesis is that Indo-European may have had a form "*A M A-" and perhaps already as well a "*M A S-", similar to what is found in Greek.

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: Monday 16 September 2013 at 14.17.48