E 0374         GLIDE

The word " glide " is of Germanic origin .

H 0364            ש ל ג

Concept of root : sliding

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ש ל ג

galash

to slide, glide, go down

Related English words

glide

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ש λ ג

galash

to slide, glide,

go down

g .l . sh

English

to glide

to glide

g l . d

German

gleiten; glitschen

gl(ei)ten; glitshen

to slide;

to slip

g l . t;

g l . tsh

French

glisser

glissé

to slide, slip

g l . s

Dutch

glijden;

glissen

ghl(ei)den;

ghlissen

to slide, glide

g l . d ;

g l . s

 

 

Proto-Semitic *GALASH --- *GLISH Proto-Germanic

 

 

The French word seems to be the nearest to Hebrew , as it also has a sibilant as a third consonant .But scholars maintain that it comes from Germanic , via Picardic dialect "glicher, from German "glitschen" as above, derived from an antique Germanic "glitzan", an iterative of "glitan". And with that last word we are again in company of English "to glide". Our similarity would thus be limited to the first two consonants of the roots "G L". That implies that Germanic and Hebrew each have added the third consonant of their own accord at a later time. But the last thing has not been said, as there exists also a Germanic root " G L S ". This root is found in of course, Dutch "glissen".

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. Germanic apparently uses two not identical roots, "G L D/T" and "G L S". But also a third root, with an S instead of G as the first consonant : "S L D" in English "slide". This same root is also found in words for "sleigh", as German "Schlitte" and Dutch "slede".

     

    There is a theory that Dutch "glissen" would be an intensive form of "glijden", but this is certainly not a common way of shaping intensive versions. And there is no semantic presence of reiteration or intensification of action, but just simple sliding. Besides this, "glissen" is an old word, and it has a sister in French "glisser" that comes from Old French, with Germanic input.

     

    The root "G L D" is seen in many older and newer Germanic languages ( in German it has become G L T ). As to "G L S" there is an Italian "glisciare, glishare", with the same root " G L SH" as Hebrew . This has also become "glissare" as in French "glisser". There is no doubt about the Germanic origin of these verbs and Proto-Germanic may indeed have had "GL I SH-", besides the already mentioned "GL I D-".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. We have not too much information available for a hypothesis for Proto-Semitic. But there is a very interesting Arabic "jalasa". In this word the opening consonant "J" is a common development out of an earlier "G" as still seen in Hebrew. The third consonant "S" corresponds with Hebrew "SH", as if often the case. An example is Hebrew "shalom" versus Arabic "salam", for "peace". So this leaves fully open the possibility that Proto-Semitic had already the same root that is still present in Hebrew :" *ג ל ש, G L SH".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Information about possible cognates outside Germanic seems not available. Therefore our comparison remains limited to Semitic and Germanic.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 20/10/2012 at 15.31.39