E 0241          (TO)  DEAL

The verb " to deal " is of Germanic origin .

H 0238            ל ד ב

Concept of root : divide

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל ד ב

ל ד י ה ב

badal ;

hivdil

to depart

to divide

Related English words

to deal

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל ד ב

ל ד י ה ב

badal ;

hivdil

to depart ;

to divide

b d l

Old English

dćlan

to divide, attribute

d . l

English

to deal

to deal

d . l

Dutch

delen;

deel

delen;

deel

to divide ;

part

d . l

Middle Dutch

bedelen

bedélen

to divide, attribute, endow, bestow

b d . l

Russian

делить

delitj

to divide, share

d . l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *BADAL < *DAL --- *DĒL- Indo-European

 

 

Our basic supposition is that we find in both Hebrew and Middle Dutch that same prefix "Be-" that localizes or emphasizes the action of the basic root, in this case "D L". There exists an indication for this in the verb "ד ל ד ל "dildel", that says a.o. "to detach, loosen, be loosened" and is clearly a doubling and intensified form of an original two consonant root "*ד ל, D L". One must note that some scholars see as the origin of this doubled root one of two identical different roots "ד ל לdalal = to become weak, thin" and "dalal = to hang down loosely, dangle". The second verb has th basic form "dal" though and the variety of meanings of the different versions dopes not allow a clear conclusion different from the one just mentioned , a root "*ד ל, D L", carrying a message of " to detach.divide".

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew has changed the meaning somewhat in Modern Hebrew, applying a reflexive meaning to what normally would be the active form, "badal" as well as to the normally passive form "nivdal".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. As often, the root in Hebrew is also present in Aramaic and Syriac "ב ד ל, B D L" , bedal with the same meaning. In Post Biblical Hebrew the basic form "badal is used to say "to depart, stay away" . A similar root in Arabic has a different meaning in the word "badala = to substitute, change", that may be or not be related. So the basis is narrow, but not too be neglected, to hypothesize a Proto-Semitic : "*ב ד ל, * B D L" . developed out of an older " *D L" through a prefix " B- ".

 

Note:
  • Germanic languages have English "deal", Swedish "del", Gothic "dails" and German ""Teil".

     

    Their meanings are not quite identical, but an Indo-European root has been supposed in line with the Germanic evidence. This although no related words have been found in Latin or Greek. So we find here the Hebrew root seeming to be near the Germanic one. And this occurs frequently.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. In nearly all languages we find the initial "D" , with the rather common exception of the initial "T" in German and its predecessors Old and Middle High German. The final consonant of the root is always "L". The common vowel is a long "E", that in Old Norse and Old Franconian as well as in German and its predecessors has become "EI". In Gothic we see "AI" in "dail-". English "deal" is a new development, as Middle English had "delen". Probably Proto-Germanic had a root "*D Ē L",with a long vowel "E", though we cannot fully exclude an improbable earlier "*D A L-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European.Slavic. Besides Germanic there is an important information from Slavic. The Russian verb "делить, delitj= to divide" is accompanied by the noun "доля, dolya = part, share, portion". This has led to a hypothesis for Slavic "*dolya". But Old Church Slavonian had the noun "dĕlŭ" with a vowel "E" . Czech also has a verb "dĕlit" with a noun "dil", and Polish in a regular development from an initial "DE": "dzielić". The indication for Slavic remains "D Ē L-.

     

    Old Indian gives little information, but it has a noun "dala-" that means a "split off part, piece", also a "fragment".

     

    There are cases in which Old Indian has a vowel "A" just like other Indo-European groups, and others in which Old Indian prefers the "A" when elsewhere the "E" is used. The probable original form in Indo-European is "*D Ē L-".

 

 

 
"...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: 23/12/2012 at 15.19.12