E 0604          MULTI- , FULL

The first word part " multi- " is of Latin origin .Full is of Germanic origin .

H 0582            א ל מ

Concept of root : full, abundant

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

א ל מ

mal’é

full, abundant

Related English words

multi - ; full

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

א ל מ

mal’é

full

plentiful abundant

m . l .

Greek

μαλα ;

-

πολυς ; πληρης

mala;

-

polǖs;

plèrès

very much, completely; much ;

full

m . l .

-

p . l .

Middle Dutch

mild ;

-

vol

milt

-

vol

plentiful

abundant ;

full

m . l d

-

v . l

Latin

multus ;

-

plenus

multus

-

plenus

much, plentiful ;

full

m . l t

-

p . l

English

multi-;

full

multi-;

full

m . l t

f . l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *MALÉ --- *MĬL- Indo-European

 

 

The word "mild" in English is used to express a number of messages, but not or no more that of abundance. In Dutch there are two categories of meanings . The first is the same that lies at the basis of the English group of meanings, and that is also found in German. In the classic tongues it corresponds for example with Greek "μαλακος , malakos", = "soft" and Latin "mollis". The second category is related to Greek "μαλα , mala = very much, completely " and to Latin "multus" and it indicates "plentiful, abundant".

 

The final dentals in Latin and Germanic have been added later to the basic root "M L".

 

English "full " can be considered related to the words of this entry as well. "Full" certainly has as cognates Greek "πληρης , plèrès ", Latin " plenus ", German " voll", Dutch " vol " and also Russian "полный , polnuj " . And as it seems as well Lithuanian " pilnas " .

 

 

Note:
  • Dutch "mild" in modern language has conserved both meanings, also the one that corresponds with Hebrew. It is still used in some expressions, such as that of "milde gave" that stands for "abundant gift", but is also felt as "generous gift". In the typical use we see in Hebrew , that of "malé’à, rich harvest" Dutch also uses specifically "mild" : "milde oogst". This last word, "oogst " , that has had many variations, is considered to have been derived from the name of the Roman Emperor "Augustus". He gave his name to the month of "August", in late Latin "Agustus" . In Old French this became "aoust" and in the Netherlands "oghest" or even "oest", with "half-oest" meaning August 15th.

     

    As in the North harvesting was done in the month of August, its name came to be used to indicate "harvest", be it in a limited territory, from Northern France along the lower Rhine into The Netherlands .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. Modern Germanic languages mostly participate with " F L" or "V L" roots, but not with "M L" roots in this similarity with Hebrew. So also Dutch with "vol, vullen = full, to fill". For "F . L" and "V . L" the Proto-Germanic form is seen as "*F Ū L-".

     

    But Dutch offers also an exception in the "extra" meanings of the word "mild". In some composed words in other languages a certain link with the concepts "abundant, plentiful" may exist. German "mildtätig" and Swedish "givmild" both mean "generous". And Old English "milde" includes in its range of meanings also "generous", but not "abundant, plentiful". It remains possible that Proto-Germanic had as a form covering "abundant" also "*M ĭ LD" or perhaps still "*M ĭ L".

 

Note:
  • Hebrew The meaning "full" is the common one for this root, but also that of "abundance" is covered by it, for example in the word " מ ל א ה , malé’à ", that says "abundant harvest".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. Proto-Semitic has a supposed root that is the same we find in Hebrew. One finds it in Aramaic and Syriac " מ ל א , melà = was full, filled". Ugaritic uses the same root for "to be full". Arabic has "mala'a = filled" and "malu'a, mali'a = was full". Ethiopian "mal'a" and Akkadian "malū" both say "was full". Proto-Semitic probably already had "* מ ל א , M L Aleph".

 

Note:
  • English "mild" consequently to what is exposed here above, is not related to Hebrew "malé" but one of the two Dutch words "mild" is.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. There is a hypothesis of "*M E L". This is based on the idea that the Latin words "multus = much" and "melior = better" have a common origin in a form "*MEL", representing the two concepts of "strong" and "big, great". The meaning of "much" would be considered a development out of those two. We fail to see this link towards "multus". And also "melior" that has the aspect of a degree of comparison, is linked to the concept of "good", not that of "strong" or "big". Also Greek scholars have given a supposition of an original "*MEL" for the word "mala = much, very", but that seems to have been suggested by the same reasoning. There are several basic elements "MEL" in Greek, but they have or are part of different messages, like "dark, black, dirty", "honey, "study", "member", "future" and more.

     

    Baltic has a hypothesis of "*mil-n-a", with a Latvian "milns = very much".

     

     

    Indo-European. With Greek, Latin, Dutch and Latvian an Indo-European "*M . L-" is probable, but the vowel or vowels that were used are uncertain. For the comparison we suppose a vowel " Ĭ "as seen in several related words.

     

    We mentioned words for "full" in the table. For them there was an original "*P L E N" as well as a "*P U L" in Indo-European.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 06/11/2012 at 16.35.12