E 0557          MALT

The word " malt " is of Germanic origin .

H 0434            ץ מ ח

Concept of root : fermenting

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ץ מ ח

ghamats

to ferment, sour

Related English words

malt

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ץ מ ח

ghamats

to ferment, sour

gh . m . ts

German

Malz

malts

malt

m . l ts

English

malt

malt

m . l t

Dutch

mout

m(ou)t

malt

m . t

 

 

Proto-Semitic *GHAMATS --- *MALTS- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The similarity between Hebrew and Germanic in this case is rather limited, but may yet be an indication of common origin of the relative roots. We see in the Hebrew word of this entry an initial GH that is not present in the Germanic words. Therefore me must ask if this GH can be a later addition. Such a " GH " can have developed by reinforcing the pronunciation of an earlier prefix " H ". Hebrew has another verb "matsą", that says principally "to drain out". And there is also a , perhaps corresponding, development in meaning between Hebrew and the Germanic words.

 


Malt is grain of which a provoked fermentation is stopped as soon as it starts, blocked by drying it out. From this has also been derived the Jewish names for unleavened bread , like matzah, matzo and matze.

 

One may suppose that the possibly new first consonant, GH, in the development of the language has been the element added to indicate "to be leavened, sour". That would leave the comparison between Hebrew "matz" and Germanic "malt" , with related messages . And especially German "Malz, malts", that was already present in Old High German, with its final sound "TS" similar to Hebrew "TS".
Then we find another difference, in that the Germanic words all have an L , besides Dutch, but the word "mout" has developed from a word "molt". And we have no explanation for this. So the case for a common origin here remains quite uncertain.

 

Note:
  • Germanic. These words are said to have been derived from "to melt", because water is added to the grain that has to ferment. We cannot well follow this reasoning, because to melt is much more then to wet. The essential of malt lies in its fermentation, which we find in the Hebrew root.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. We see in nearly all Germanic languages the word "M A LT" and this leads us to a supposition of Proto-Germanic "*M A LT". Yet the existence of "M A LTS" in German and its predecessors leaves open room for a second and perhaps better hypothesis "*M A LTS ".

     

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. The root of this entry is also seen in Aramaic and Syriac "ח ם ץ, ghamats = was sour, was leavened". It has a cognate with the same meaning in Arabic "ghamudha" . Proto-Semitic is considered as having had the root we see used in Hebrew "*ח ם ץ, GH M TS".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. There is a Sanscrit "mŗidu, proposed as a cognate of "malt". But "mŗidula" says "soft, tender, gentle". And "mŗid" carries the meaning of "to squeeze, crush" and related concepts. No reference to "malt" or even its characteristics. Then there is "mŗidâ = clay, loam, earth", that may recall English "maltha", seen in Entry E 0558 (Hebrew 0588), but not "malt".

     

    We have no information regarding possible cognates in other groups of Indo-European languages and our comparison remains between Semitic and Germanic. This is a very frequent phenomenon.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 27/10/2012 at 11.05.47