GR 1215          NEAROS

H 0628            ר ע נ

Concept of root : young man

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ר ע נ

na‛àr

young man

Related English words

none

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ר ע נ

na‛àr

young man

n (‛a) r

Greek

νεαρος

nearos

young man

n .(a) r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *NA‛AR --- *NÈR Indo-European

 

 

A clear-cut case of similarity between Greek and Hebrew with obviously a common origin. The last part , "-os", of Greek "nearos" is the usual noun-shaping suffix.

 

Note:
  • Greek. A "nearos" of course is "young", in Greek "neos", and the R in some way indicates that "young" is a "young man" or rather a "young human" with the suffix "os" specifying that this young human is male.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew and Greek. Hebrew has a female form of the same word, that is "nearà" . Modern Greek has the same word "neara" for "young woman". But Classic Greek "nearos" did not have a female version. This leads to an idea about the way it was formed. In Latin we know the word "vir" for "man". "Vir" corresponds with Anglo-Saxon and Old High German "wer" and Gothic "wair". Would it be just possible that a Greek "nearos" was like a "new-wair" or "young-man" ? Greek also has "αρρην , arrèn or αρσην , arsèn " for "male, man". But where would that leave us with the common origin with Hebrew ?

     

    Some question marks always remain, even in clear-cut cases like the one of this entry.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew uses the root of "na’ar" to form other words referring to "youth".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is found in Phoenician in the plural " נ ע ר ם = boys, servants". Ugaritic used the same root for the same message.

     

    This Hebrew root probably was used in Proto-Semitic. Similar roots are found in more languages, but their messages are semantically too distant : "to shake, stir" and " to roar". Proto-Semitic probably used this root in the meaning of "youngster" : "* נ ע ר , N Ayin R".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European uses the combination "N R" in various languages with the message of "man, manliness". Old Indian "nár = man, person", but here a young man is a "sūnára-". Avestan has "nar- = man, human". Armenian has "air; gen. arrn" . "Manly" in the three mentioned languages is "nárya-; nairya; aru. Greek had "ανηρ , anèr = man, person" and this word is used to indicate many traditional male qualities. The word "nearos" was an adjective, then became used as a substantive. Albanian again has "n'er = man, person". Celtic has for "manliness, with a suffix "T" : Old Irish has "nert" and Cymric and Cornish "nerth". In Latin there is the adjective "neriosus = strong, resistent", the origin of which can be recognized through Oscan "ner = man". The probable Indo-European form is "N È R-".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 12/11/2012 at 9.48.19