E 0447          HESITATE

The word " hesitate " is of Latin origin .

H 0407           ס ס ה

Concept of root : hesitate

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ס ס ה

hissès

to hesitate

Related English words

hesitate

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ס ס ה

hissès

to hesitate

h . s . s

Latin

haesitare

hésitare

to be stuck; to hesitate

h . s (t)

English

to hesitate

to hesitate

h . s (t)

 

 

Proto-Semitic *HASAS < *HAS- --- *HĀS- Indo-European

 

 

This Hebrew verb "hissès", an intensive form on the basis of a root "H.S.S", that in all probability has developed out of an earlier "*H.S" , is not found in the Bible but in Medieval Hebrew. It is related to Jewish Aramaic "hassès" with the same meaning and there can be no doubt that the original root "H.S.S" is of old date .

 

The root of this Hebrew word may be related to that of entry E 0471 (Hebrew 0406), that has the concept of silence. The identicity of meanings between the Latin and Hebrew words is evident .

 

The second S of the Hebrew root is just a doubling, in order to have three consonants with which to better create many verbal forms .

 

 

Note:
  • Latin "haesitare" is an intensive form, perhaps based on the participle "haesus" of the verb "haerere", that gives litteral and figurative meanings of "being stuck, non-moving, non-deciding". These meanings of "haerere" comprehend such non-actions of volontary character. Anyhow "haerere" is considered to have been developed out of a basis "H AE S". The Latin word "haesitare" has its daughters in Neo-Latin languages and of course English.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew "hissès" is also an intensive form, but the basic root or verb is out of use, besides the perhaps related word of entry E 0471 (Hebrew 0406). There is one other root that may be related: &ldquo "ח ס ר, ghasar ", that stands for "to lack, to withhold". In the case of "hissès" it is the action that lacks and is withheld.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. With perhaps only Aramaic " ה ס ס, hassès " , the basis is narrow, but not unrealistic, for a hypothesis of a Proto-Semitic root similar to Hebrew : "* ה ס ס, H S S ". Such a root may have been the result of the doubling of the second consonant of an older "* ה ס , *H S ".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Regretfully there is little to go by. Besides Latin there seems to be just in Lithuanian "gaiñtù, gaīñti" carrying the meanings of "to falter, stick, come to a standstill, hesitate". The Baltic-Slavic group, to which Lithuanian belongs, more often makes a consonant " G " out of what in other Indo-European groups is a consonant " H ".

     

    An Indo-European "*H Ā S-" may well have existed, with meanings in the mentioned range.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 24/10/2012 at 14.34.49