E 0139          CALLOW

The word " callow " is of Germanic origin .

H 0362          ח ל ג

Concept of root :  absence of growth, baldness

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ח ל ג

gillagh

to shave

Related English words

English callow, Old English : calu

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ח ל ג

gillagh

to shave

g . l . gh

Latin

calvus

calvus

hairless, bald

c . l v

English

callow

callow

c . l . (w)

Old English

calu

bald

c . l .

German

kahl

kal

bald, bare

k . l

Dutch

kaal

kal

bald, bare

k . l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *GALAGH --- *KĀLGH- Indo-European

 

 

There is some uncertainty around the two meanings of "hairless" and "naked". They are generally considered of different stock . For that reason Latin "calvus" and German "kahl" are thought not to be based on the same root. We have a different view. Latin calvus talks not only about a bald head, but also, among other things, of plants without leaves, like vineyards in winter. That is the basic sense of this root : absence of growth that is normally present. A comparable situation find in Hebrew, as seen in the following note. Perhaps the existence of another Latin word "calva" =skull has led to an inexact interpretation.

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew "gillagh" is the intensive form of the verb of this root. The meaning of the basic form is not easily to deduce with certainty. But is must have indicated the absence or the causing of absence, also of natural character, of usual growths of hair, leaves or the likes. Besides this, its sister word " ג ל ה galà" covers the concepts of unveiling, uncovering and of getting naked by taking off one’s clothes.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. Proto-Semitic supposedly and indeed probably had the same root present in Hebrew, and that is also found in Arabic "jalighà = he was, became bald". Aramaic has "ג ל ח , gelagh = he shaved". In Ge'ez Ethiopian ( or Ethiopic) we see an extra Aleph after the initial G. This has induced some to suppose such an Aleph also in Proto-Semitic, but this is improbable. The extra Aleph more likely is a later development of more accentuated or emphasized speech. For Proto-Semitic the hypothesis remains like Hebrew : "*ג ל ח , G L GH " .

 

Note:
  • Germanic in English makes a very limited use of this root, as in the word "callow" for a. o. still featherless young birds. But German "kahl" and especially Dutch "kaal" have extended its applications to many other terrains, covered by English bald, bare, stark, unadorned, callow etcetera. "Kaal" definitely stands for the result of shaving in the composed word "kaalgeschoren" : shaven "kaal", for people, animals and plants.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic The Germanic languages in which this word is present, nearly all have "K A L" with the K-sound sometimes spelled "C", as in old English "cal-u" and English "call-ow". For Old High German besides "kal-o" a version "chal-o" is given. The final vowels, and also "ow" in English, are suffixes and the Proto-Germanic root probably was just "*K Ā L-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European.

     

    Old Indian, besides "kulva(gh) = bald" has "khalat́ = bald-headed, bald", but also a version with "R" instead of "L": "ári-kūrvagh = bald". Interesting is that we see the consonants "K L GH", comparable with Semitic "G L GH"! And we also see sometimes the "V" after the "L", as in Latin "calvus".

     

    Avestan shows : "kal = bald" and "kaurva = bald", as often near Old Indian.

     

    New Persian has "kal = bald", that is identical to Germanic.

     

    Russian "голый, golŭj = naked" perhaps is far off related, but its main message is that of "nude, naked, bare" and not of "bald" . As such it was anyhow present in Old Church Slavonic. With also the meaning "bald" it is used in other Slavic tongues. Interestingly, scholars think that "golŭj may be related to "голова, golova = head". But that would make the expression "golŏj golovoj" = bald-headed" a bit a tautology.

     

     

    Indo-European probably had more versions, with " K L" as basis: "*K Ā LW-", "*K Ā L . GH-" and an older simple "*K Ā L -". It is unclear if the three versions were inspired by forms of diversification.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 24/12/2012 at 16.48.27