E 0956          UTILE

The old fashioned word "utile", like "utility" and " use ", is of Latin origin .

H 0199            ר ת ע

Concept of root : available for use

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ר ת ע

*‛atar

to have available

Related English words

utile, use, utility, from Latin

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ר ת ע

*‛atar

to have available

‛a t r <

* ‛a t

Latin

uti, (utor);

usus

uti,( utor);

 usus

to use, have available,   (I use); used

u t

 

 

Proto-Semitic *‛ATAR --- *UT-I Latin

 

 

This entry in fact is related to number E 0955 (Hebrew 0195) , dealing with the Hebrew word "‛itted" . that is also related to the same Latin word "uti".

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew and Latin. This word is no more used as such, already in Biblical times, but its passive form , "ne‛ettar" exists and means " to be abundantly available". From that we may conclude that the basic form "‛atar" meant "to have (abundantly) available". This brings this root near to the Latin one.

     

    Meanwhile the existence of this root together with " ע ת ד , ittèd ", demonstrates that the third consonant of each is an instrument of diversification. Indeed, we see that the Hebrew root extended with " D ", verb "‛ittèd", covers a part of the meanings of Latin "utor, uti", that is the "to use, make use of", whereas the Hebrew root extended with " R ", "‛atar" covers the other part, that is the "to have available". A very interesting comparison of the development in two related languages.
    See entry E 0955 (Hebrew 0195).

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This Hebrew root/message combination seems to be rather isolated. Therefore it has been seen as an "Aramism" and so linked to the Hebrew root "Ayin SH R", that has the message: " to be(come) rich". In Aramaic and Syriac that meaning is indeed expressed with the root "Ayin T R". And in Post Biblical Hebrew the sense " plentiful" sneaks into "Ayin SH R" in the word " 'ashir = plentiful, abundant ". As is known, Arabic sometimes has an initial GH, where Hebrew has an initial Ayin. So in the word "ghathara = abundance". The conclusion is anyhow that Proto-Semitic, just like Hebrew, in all probability used the root "*ע ת ר *Ayin T R" for the concept of "abundance, availability", just like Hebrew.

 

Note:
  • Latin and Hebrew. Yet there is still another much used verb , related to "‛atar" in Hebrew, " י ת ר , yatar " that deals with " more than necessary" . Naturally with a number of figurative meanings. The "Yod" is a prefix, that has developed out of an earlier prefix "W". So the first part of the original root here was in the past "*W T", which makes it as good as equal to Latin " to have available ".

 

Note:
  • Latin. The "R" of "utor" is a suffix, indicating a passive form. Thus it has no connection with the "R" of Hebrew "‛atar", which is the third regular consonant of the root.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. For the Latin root of this entry, that has so succesfully penetrated in many languages, no etymology has been found notwithstanding all kinds of research. The relation with Greek "oitos" remains uncertain. We have to limit ourselves for now to a comparison between Semitic and Latin.

 

 

 

 
"...the town, to which was given the name Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the language of all the world on the face of which He dispersed them. GENESIS 11,9"
 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 22/12/2012 at 17.38.16