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E 0501 (TO) KILL
The verb " to kill " is of
Germanic origin .
H 0489 ה ל כ
Concept of root : to destroy,
annihilate
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ה ל כ
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killè
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to
destroy, annihilate
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Related English words
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to kill
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Comparison between European words and
Hebrew
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Languages
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Words
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Pronunciation
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English meanings
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Similarity in roots
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Hebrew
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ה ל כ
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killè
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to destroy,
annihilate
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k l
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Old English
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cyllan
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to kill
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k l
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English
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to kill
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k l
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Hebrew KILLÉ < Proto-Semitic *KALÀ --- *KĬL- < KWĀL- Indo-European
This entry has to be compared with number E 0226 ( Hebrew 0472) , in which a number of English words were compared with Hebrew " ghil ". It is possibe that both entries are related. Then it is difficult to define in which one " to kill " fits best. We invite to read the comments in entry E 226 ( Hebrew 0472) first.
The Hebrew word " killè " of this entry is an intensive form with transitive meaning of basic "kalà", that has a number of intransitive meanings, such as "to end, be finished, disappear, weaken" and various further related concepts.
Note:
- English "to kill" does not have only the meaning of "to put to death", but as the reader knows, also others, nearer to those of Hebrew "killè". An etymology has not been established. It has been tried to link "to kill" to a hypothetical Indo-European root "*gwel" standing for "to pierce". That can hardly be right . True, one may kill in the sense of putting to death by piercing somebody with a dagger or sword, but the meanings of our verb are many more than that.
And besides this, the Indo-European root "*gwel" or rather "*kwel" does not indicate actions that lead to death of the victim, but limits itself to harassing and tormenting. German and Dutch have words that are based on this root. "Naturally" Dutch "kwellen" is practically identical to the Indo-European origin, whereas German "quaelen" has changed some.
Note:
- English "chill" in Dutch is "kil", so one might think that the verb "to kill" would have been derived from "to make cold", but again the meanings are many more, so we better stick to constating the kinship with Hebrew "killè".
Note:
- Old High German "chollen" is very interesting. It means "to vex, to kill" and it uses a vowel " O ". And in many instances a vowel " O " is a predecessor of a vowel " I ", especially in Semitic languages, but this happens also in Indo-European tongues.
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. This root is known with a number of related meanings , among which the following basic messages. Aramaic "כ ל א , kel'à = to perish". Ugaritic uses the root for "to come to an end". Akkadian "kalū = to cease". This root was probably already used in Proto-Semitic: "*כ ל ה , K L H (accentuated vowel)".
Note:
- Indo-European . A Slavic "*zjalj", with identical Russian has been linked to the words of this entry, but the meaning "pity, shame, regret" is too far off. Nearer comes Baltic:
Baltic has a hypothesis of "*G . L", with various possible vowels. Just looking at Lithuanian "gelà = "serious pain, suffering" we see a similarity with Germanic, though the consonant "W" is absent, with the possible exception in a developed "*gil-" ( "I" out of "W" as in Semitic).
Latvian has an isolated old word "galit = to perish", and this is considered related to the words of this entry. This is uncertain.
Celtic , often changes the initial "G" into "B" and. With less precision we find Old Irish "atbaill = he dies" and Middle Cymric "ballu = to perish".
Indo-European, in comparing with entry E 0226 (Hebrew 0472 ), Germanic shows clearly the " W ", in "KW ", that is the most near to Semitic. In the case of common origin, this "KW" should have been present in the earliest times. That hypothesis is obvious: "*KW Ā L-", but possibly with already a developing "*K I L-".
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 29/10/2012 at 17.15.04 |
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