E 0420          (TO) HARRY, HARROW

The verbs " to harry " and " to harrow " are of Germanic origin .

H 0405            ס ר ה

Concept of root : to destroy

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ס ר ה

haras

to destroy , harry

Related English words

to harry, harrow

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ס ר ה

haras

to destroy

h . r . s

English

to harry, harrow

to harry, harrow

h . r .

German

verheeren

verhéren

to destroy

h . r

Middle High German

heren

héren

to destroy

h . r

Middle Dutch

heren

héren

to destroy

h . r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *HARAS --- *HĒR- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The nearest to the Hebrew word in this entry is English . The basic difference is that in Hebrew we find a third consonant S, that is not present in the Germanic words of this entry . As we pointed out in entry E 0465 (Hebrew 0404) we suppose that the S is of later date, that means in this case "after the separation" between the two language-groups.

 

Note:
  • German"verheeren" is a composed word, with the intensifying or result-strengthening prefix "ver" and the original verb "heren", as found in Middle High German.

     

    This German verb is often seen as related to the rather well known noun "Heer", that stands for "army". The typical action of an army would be expressed by the verb "verheeren". One has to consider that if "Heer" and "(ver)heren" are related, the verbs must have been derived from the noun. In old times the creation of an army was necessary for communities, small or big as they might be. This necessity was based on defense, much more than on such aggressive attacking as to destroy other communities. Thus there remains a big quastion mark for the question if "heren" is indeed related to "Heer".

     

    Another explanation is sought in the word "Herr", in Dutch effectively "heer". Well, these words mean "Lord", and there certainly have been quite a few not too gentle Lords about, but not to the extent to consider destruction the characteristic activity of Lords or "Herren". Meanwhile there is a total confusion about the origin of that German word "Herr" itself. In our opinion it has a strict relative in Latin "herus," with the same meaning, and that later has become "erus". The Romans already had the tendency to abolish initial H’s. The Neo-Latin languages have proceeded along that road, together with the Greeks.

 

Note:
  • English. We have not inserted the verb "to harass", though it sounds very much like our Hebrew entry. Its meaning is a bit too far from "to destroy". The action of harassing is very unpleasant for the people it is aimed at, and it may even be mentally destructive, but it does not "destroy". As to the origin, "to harass" comes from French "harasser", but also there no explanation is found. The idea that is comes from ""harer", a verb meaning "to set a dog on, crying "hare, hare"" is semantically off. It is possible that French "harasser" is a left over figurative use of an old Germanic verb for "to destroy".

     

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is found in Moabite and OS Arabic ה ר ס, H R S , to mean "to attack, pull down". Arabic has the same root in harasa = he crushed, squashed" . This root may well have been used already in Proto-Semitic : ה ר ס, H R S".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. In older Germanic languages we find verbs with the same basic meaning as modern German "verheeren", but without the prefix "ver-". Old High German"heriō = to destroy, ransack". Old Norse "herja = to destroy, ravage". Old English used "herian, hergian for "to harry, harrow". Proto-Germanic probably already used a form "*H Ē R-.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. As said in the Note on German, it is doubtful if the words of this entry can be linked to the nouns for "Army", that are found in many Germanic languages. In the affirmative case, words for "army", like from outside Germanic Old Prussian "karjis", Lithuanian "karias", Middle Irish "cuire" might contribute to a hypothesis for Indo-European. And possibly also Greek "koiranos" = military commander".

     

    In doubt the comparison stays between Semitic and Germanic.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 22/10/2012 at 17.58.27