E 0424          HASTEN

The word " hasten " is of Germanic origin

H 0468            ש ו ח

Concept of root : hurry

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ש ו ח

ghosh

to hurry

Related English words

hasten ; Old English hasu (= hare)

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ש ו ח

ghosh

to hurry

gh . sh

English

to hasten

to hasten

h s(t)

Dutch

haasten;
haas

haasten;
haas

to hasten; hare

h s(t),
h s .

 

 

Proto-Semitic *GHASH --- *HĀST Proto-Germanic

 

 

This entry is to be seen related to entry E 0423 (Hebrew 0216) . We invite to read the comments in that entry

 

The addition of a consonant T at the end of an existing root is a rather common phenomenon in Germanic languages. This additon does not at all necessarily change the meaning, though perhaps it may reinforce, accentuate it. In this case we see also the German and Dutch words "Hase" and "haas", that stand for "hare" and which we consider to carry the message of "to hurry", typical for the hare that always seems to move in a hurry. By the way, some people say a hare means "the grey animal", but that is not even what a hare looks like.

 

Note:
  • Old English. Dutch has a sister in German " hasten" and " Hase ". The verb " hasten " is said to have been" derived, via Old French, from Frankish "haifst". But that meant "vehemence", a quite different concept. We better stick to the similarity in meaning and consonants with Hebrew. See further the Note on Proto-Germanic.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew . If our hypothesis is right, there have been two different developments on the basis of an original root that has "*W.SH" or better "O.SH" preceded by a light guttural sound, that might have been but not necessarily already was an Ayin . Its message was that of "making haste". See Entry E 0423 (Hebrew 0216) .

     

    Some say that this making haste was aimed at "coming to help", as such is the message of Arab "ghathà" . But we consider that message already a step further in development, specialization of meaning and gives no good indication for the original meaning . Certainly the "haste" and "hurrying" of the Hebrew root "Ayin.O.S" was less strong than those expressed with the stronger guttural in "GH.O.SH": hurrying combined with urging .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This same root is used in Ugaritic and also seen in Akkadian "ghāshu = to hasten" and may well have been in use already in Proto-Semitic: "*ח ו ש, GH W SH ", ghosh". besides a two consonant form form "*ח ש, GH SH , ghash, ghosh", comparable with Akkadian.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. If an existing hypothesis about the origin of "to hasten" would be convincing, Proto-Germanic would seem to show a reminiscence of the older version of the Hebrew root. One might then see such as reminiscence of the Hebrew letter "waw" in the combination "IF" in the old word "*haifsti". The theory says that this hypothetical Proto-Germanic word was simplified to "*haisti" and thus led to "haste". The " IF ", between vowel and consonant, was supposedly present in Old Franconian "*haifst = vehemence", related to Dutch "heftigheid" with the same meaning, that is then found in Old English without the consonant "F" : "hæst = vehemence" .

     

    This may be correct, but then West Frisian, usually near to Old English has the word "haest" that has the other meaning : "haste". Besides this it has "haste = fast". Further words that have contributed to the theory about the origin of "haste" are Old Norse "heifst = hatred" and Gothic "haifsts = quarrel".

     

    The fact remains that we have words that have some similarity between them with meanings that may be related in a far off way. Comparing them in Dutch, as this language has changed existing roots less than most others :

     

    haast , Middle Dutch "haest, haeste, haste" : haste; with Proto-Germanic "*H Ā ST-"

     

    haat , Middle Dutch "haet, hate" : hatred ; with Proto-Germanic "*H Ā T-"

     

    heftig , Middle Dutch not present as such : vehement ; with Proto-Germanic "*H Ĕ B-".

     

    In older and newer Germanic languages there are words for "hate, hatred" with the root "H Ā T" and that includes Old Norse "hatr", in which the final "R" is a common suffix. Therefore Old Norse "heifst" that means "hate" is rather accidental. It has several forms , such as "heipt, heift, heifst, heimpt, heimt" and many meanings: "enmity, hatred, jealousy, anger, etcetera". It can be excluded as contribution to the development of the words for "to hate".

     

    The absence of a related word for modern Dutch "heftig = vehement" in Middle Dutch that has only a "haftich = brave, stout", shows it probably has been loaned from identical German "heftig". We must conclude that the three roots for respectively "hate", "haste" and "vehemence" are independent from each other.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Outside Germanic we have no information that would allow a hypothesis directly for Indo-European.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 28/10/2012 at 13.29.44