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GR 1231A PHUSAO
H 0654 ש
פ
נ
Concept of root : breath,
life
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ש פ נ
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nephesh
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breath,
life, individual, soul
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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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ש פ נ
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nephesh
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breath, life, individual,
soul
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n . ph . sh
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German
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pusten
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pusten
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to blow, respire heavily
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p (u) st .
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Norwegian
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puste
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puste
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to respire, blow
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ph . s .
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Greek
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φυσαω
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phüsao
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to respire, blow
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ph . s .
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Proto-Semitic *NAP(H)ASH < Proto-Semitic *POSH --- *PŪS- Indo-European
The interface is interesting and merits the attention of an entry. The development of meanings in Hebrew is as such comparable to what we see in Greek and Latin with the groups of words that comprehend "anemos = wind " and "anima = soul".
Note:
- Hebrew gives us an interesting couple of verbs that between them have a kind of metathesis both in spelling and sound as in practical meaning. The first one has the same root as seen in this entry. In entry E 0670 (Hebrew 0653): "
נ
פ
ש , naphash = to draw breath", as well as "to (take a) rest" and in entry E 0853 (Hebrew 0660) : "
נ
ש
פ , nashaph = to blow ".
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. The hypothetical root of Proto-Semitic is the same we find in Hebrew, for the various meanings. It is as such indeed present in Aramaic and Syriac " נ פ ש א, naphsh'à = breath of life, soul, spirit, living being". Arabic amd Ethiopian have "nafs" with the same messages. Akkadian "nappishtu = life, living being, person". Probably this root was already in use in Proto-Semitic: "* נ פ ש , N . P . SH". It is uncertain if a change in pronunciation of the consonant " P " into " PH = F " has begun in that language.
As seen in entry E 0670 (Hebrew 0653), the root "N PH SH" has been developed, with the aid of a confirming prefix " N ", out of the earlier "* פ ו ש, P W SH, posh", that probably was in use in Proto-Semitic.
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. Middle Dutch "poesten , pusten", also "puysten" has sisterwords in Middle Low German "pusten", but also with related meanings in Middle High German "pfūsen = to sniff"" and Old Swedish "pysa = to sniff, blow". The final "T" in these roots , that does not influence the meaning, is a typical Germanic phenomenon.
In modern German "pusten = to blow" is very common. In Norwegian "puste = to breathe". Proto-Germanic probably had a form "P Ū S-" and also already "P Ū ST-"
Note:
- Indo-European. On the basis of Germanic and Greek, the hypothesis for Indo-European may be similar to that of the older Proto-Germanic form : "P Ū S-".
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: Thursday 7 February 2013 at 15.57.17 |
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