E 0595          (TO) MOLLIFY

The verb " to mollify " has, via Old French, a Latin origin ,

H 0586         ל ל מ

Concept of root : softness

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל ל מ

malal

to become soft,

wither

Related English words

mollify

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל ל מ

malal

to become soft,

wither

m . l . l

Greek

μαλακος, μαλθων, μαλθακος

malakos, malthon, malthakos

soft

m . l . k

m . l th

*m . l th

Latin

mollis

mollis

soft

m . ll

English

to mollify

to mollify, make soft

m . ll

 

 

Proto-Semitic *MAL --- *MŎL- , *MĂL- Indo-European

 

 

Greek and Latin do not use this root for the specific meaning of the withering of plants on which Modern Hebrew has concentrated.

 

This entry is related to no E 0594 (Hebrew 0034). The weak point in the comparison of this entry is that Hebrew accentuates the aspect of withering or decay, also collapsing and weakness , and then with the related root "Alep.M.L" weakness or tiredness, whereas the European words concentrate on the concept of being or becoming soft. Older meanings of the same root in Hebrew are given as "to give way, droop, wilt, break down", that indicate results of existing or developing sitnesses, but not with full exclusive identical messages.

 

Note:
  • Greek gives a complicated picture with those three words, that also carry numerous figurative meanings of softness or weakness . There is little clarity about their common predecessor, but agreement that their original "root" is "mala", which in our view means a two-consonant-root "M L": M (A) L.

 

Note:
  • Middle Dutch uses the word "mol" for " soft " , but this might even be a loanword from Latin, directly or indirectly. With this doubt it has been left out.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew in modern language has changed the specific use of this root in the field of softness , abolishing the basic root "M L" and concentrating on the withering of plants through the verbs " מ ל ל, malal" with its participle used to express the present tense: "מ ו ל ל, molel".

     

    The verb, "malal" is considered an extended form of the shorter original root "*M L", that sees its existence confirmed. "Molel" has a "waw" inserted that is here pronounced as a vowel O: "M O L".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic, There are four different and probably independent roots " M L L " in Hebrew, with the meanings : " to speak ( sister root M L M L = to talk) ; " to rub, scrape"; "wither, soften, weaken, decay", "to fold the hem". All of them go back to earlier roots " * M . L", that probably existed in Proto-Semitic. But with the exception of the meaning " to speak", found as " M L L" in Aramaic and Syriac" and "M L" found in Arabic, we have no corroborating evidence from other Semitic languages to allow a solid hypothesis. Only the link with enry E0594 (Hebrew 0034) allows a hypothesis of a basic two consonant root "* מ ל , M L".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. An interesting cognate is found in Old Indian "mlāti, mlāyati = to wither, fade, decay". With a metathesis of the consonant "L", perhaps made possible or stimulated by the " T " of the suffix, this points at a Indo-European "*M A L-. For a more solid hypothesis we would perhaps like more general support than Old Indian and Greek. In our comparison we anyhow mention "*M A L-". It is possible that the use of the vowel " O " in this case has been a later development. This remains uncertain.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 07/11/2012 at 17.38.02