E 0697          PRAISE , PRIZE

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

The word "prize" is of Germanic origin.

H 0270            ך ר ב

Concept of root : praising

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ך ר ב

barakh, berrikh

to praise, bless

Related English words

praise

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ך ר ב

barakh, berrikh

to praise, bless

b . r . kh

English

to praise ;

prize

to praise ;

prize

p r . s ;

p r . z

Middle Dutch

prisen, priesen

prizen, prisen

to praise

p r . s

 

 

Proto-Semitic *BARAK --- *PRIS- Proto-Germanic

 

 

This word is extremely important in Hebrew and is frequently used in prayer, to bless God. It also serves in classic and refined greeting between people: "shalom uvrakhā" stands for "peace and blessing".

 

In this comparison we have a similarity in meaning and a partial one in root. The Semitic " B . R " corresponds with a Germanic " PR ", which is not unusual, but anyhow the third consonants vary. This can be due to further developments after the splitting of the branches of languages leading to Semitic and Indo-European.

 

Note:
  • English uses this word also in the sense of "to praise the Lord", as does Hebrew.

     

    A different English word, "prize", has via Old French "prisier" its origin in Vulgar Latin "pretiare = to value", based on Classic Latin "pretium = price, value". "Prize" is not related to "to praise" that comes from Old French "preisier = to praise". But there may have been a mix-up between the two lines of meanings, as older French also had this just mentioned "prisier" = "to prize", thus a very similar word. The word "prisier" may be of Latin origin, whereas "preisier" = "to praise" is probably of Germanic origin. We add that also the verb "to pray", an action towards God, is not related to "to praise".

 

Note:
  • Middle Dutch Very important is and remains also in Dutch the modern word "prijzen", in the sense of "to praise the Lord".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. In older languages we find Old Norse "prīsa = to honour, praise" and Middle High German "prīsen= to praise, glorify". The probable form in Proto-Germanic is "*PR I S-" We note that in modern Norwegian "prise", also the meaning of "to praise" had been introduced.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. The Hebrew root has its cognates in Phoenician "ב ר ך , to bless" , Aramaic and Syriac "ב ר ך , barekh = to bless" . Ugaritic has the same root "B R K" for "to bless" and Arabic "bāraka" says "he blessed". Sometimes we see a metathesis in Semitic, as in Akkadian "karābu = to bless". The root of this entry must have been present already in Proto-Semitic : "*ב ר ך ".

     

    We have no indications that the change in pronunciation of the third consonant, from " K " into " KH " , may have begun in Proto-Semitic. The vowels remain uncertain and in the comparison we have "BARAK".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. As seen in the above Note on English, the words "prize" and price", related to Latin "pretium" are non related to "to praise" and Proto-Germanic "*pris-" with the message of "to praise". Regretfully we have no information outside Germanic that would allow a hypothesis for Indo-European.

     

     

 

 
"...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: 23/01/2013 at 14.05.44