|
E 0390 GRASS
The word " grass " is of
Germanic origin .
H 0379 ש ר ג
Concept of root : new growth
|
Hebrew word
|
pronunciation
|
English meanings
|
|
ש ר ג
|
geresh
|
new
upcoming growth
|
|
|
|
Related English words
|
grass
|
|
|
Comparison between European words and
Hebrew
|
Languages
|
Words
|
Pronunciation
|
English meanings
|
Similarity in roots
|
|
Hebrew
|
ש ר ג
|
geresh
|
new upcoming growth
|
g r sh
|
|
English
|
grass
|
|
grass
|
g r s
|
|
Norwegian
|
gress
|
grčs
|
grass
|
g r s
|
|
Latin
|
gramen;
*grasmen
|
gramen;
grasmen
|
grass, green growth
|
g r s
|
|
Dutch Eastern dialects
|
gres, gers
|
gres, gers
|
grass
|
g r s
|
Hebrew GERESH < *GARASH --- *GRAS- Indo-European
The English word " grass " is also familiar to other Germanic languages. We have chosen Norwegian and Dutch Eastern dialects as an example because these are nearer to Hebrew in vowel. In reality also Danish and Swedish have an E-sound in this word, but it is still written with an A in it. Norwegian has further modernized its spelling.
This Hebrew word is found in Deuteronomium 33.14 . There are various translations, but they agree on the meaning of a new fresh growth on the field.
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. There is a similar root in Aramaic and Ugaritic, but it says " to drive away" and it is independent from the root of this entry, for which we have no evidence to serve as a basis for a hypothesis.
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. Old and new Germanic languages use the combination "GR . S", sometimes "G. RS". The vowel is nearly always "A". Some Dutch dialects and Old Frisian have a vowel "E" as seen in Hebrew. Interesting is the internal metathesis in Old English "gärs, gräs" with the vowel pronounced as "È", much like modern American. This is also found in Swedish and it has "A" as its origin. The probable Proto-Germanic was "*GR A S-".
Note:
- Indo European is considered having had a root "*ghro", on which both "to grow" and "grass" would have been based. This would be in harmony with the new fresh growth meant in Hebrew "geresh". We are inclined to say that the consonant "S" for the root or defining part probably was present in Indo-European. And the vowels "O" or "U" are not used for the concept of "grass", but for that of "to grow" and "green".
There seems to be little information outside Germanic and Latin.
Greek has an interesting noun "γραστις, κραστις, grastěs, krastěs = grass". This is we believe correctly seen as related to "grass" and Latin "gra(s)men". In this Latin word "-men" is a suffix.
Some confusion can be caused by the existence of the verb "γραω , grao = to eat". This probably has contributed to the uses of "grastěs" also for the meaning "forage", that though clearly indicates not just "grass" or "green fodder", but as well "grain, barley". For "food, stomach" Greek uses a non related word "γαστηρ, gastčr, found in English "gastronomy".
Indo-European for "grass, fresh growth" may have had a form "*GR A S-".
|
|
|
| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 21/10/2012 at 16.36.56 |
|