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GR 1214 NAO
H 0627 ע נ
Concept of root : selfmoving
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ע נ
ע נ ו
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n‛à ;
no‛à
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mobile,
selfmoving;
to move, wave, quiver
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Related English words
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none
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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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ע נ
-
ע נ ו
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-
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n‛à ;
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no‛à ;
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-
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mobile, selfmoving;
to move, wave, quiver
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n (‛à)
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Greek
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ναω ,
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vao ;
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to move (fast), to flow, to run
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n (a) ;
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Proto-Semitic *NO ‛À --- *NA-O Greek < *NĀW Indo-European
The message of the Greek word "nao" is rather precisely that of something moving of its own accord. It comprehends the "running" of water as well as (fast) "running" on the ground and in general "moving fast". A common origin with Hebrew sounds possible.
Note:
- Greek. There is some uncertainty as to the original root of "nao". One supposition is a root "*sna", but a couple of existing words make this improbable. The first is "ναμα , nama = flow", that seems to refer specifically to moving water. Certainly water is in nature one of the most convincing examples of something that moves on and on. In fact this has led to supposing that words like "νηχω, nèkho = to swim" and "νησος, nèsos = island" would be of the same root as "nao". Islands do not usually move about much though and we must rather conclude that there are two very brief Greek roots, that have some similarity in sound, but not in meaning.
Important to note is that in Greek the genitive of "ναυς, naüs" has not maintained the vowel A " , on account of the weight of the suffix, in "νεως, neos".
Here the second existing word comes to clarify things : "αενάος , aenaos" says "always moving, eternal" also without referring to water.
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. This root is found in Aramaic " נ ו ע
, nu'‛à = to move" and " נ ע מ
ע, n‛àn‛à = he shook" and
in Syriac " נ ע
, n‛à = he quaked, trembled".
Arabic has "nā‛a = it wavered". The root may well have been used in Proto-Semitic. "* נ ו ע
, N W Ayin".
Note:
- Indo-European has a hypothesis "*N Ā W-" for "boat, ship", that seems right. There are Greek "naüs", Latin "navis", Old Indian "nāu-" and the root is also found in Avestan, Armenian and Celtic. Some references exist in older Germanic words, like Old Norse "nor = ship", in which the "R" is a common suffix. And a "naust" is a "boathouse", in a word that is still used in modern Norwegian.
On the basis of Greek alone it is not possible to opt a hypothesis for the mentioned verbs.
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 12/11/2012 at 9.50.08 |
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