E 0957          VADE MECUM

The combination " vade mecum " is Latin in origin .

H 0666            ד ו נ

H 0666            ע נ ו

Concept of root : to go

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ע ו נ

ד ו נ

nuw‛à ;

nod, nawad

to move, wander

tomove, wander

Related English words

vade mecum

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ע ו נ

ד ו נ

nuw‛à ;

nod, nawad

to move, wander;

to move, wander

n.w ‛.< *w.‛.

n.w.d < *w.d

Latin

vado

vado

to go

v . d >

* v .

Italian

vado, vo

vado, vo

to go

v . d,

v .

Milanese

voo

vu

to go

v .

English

vade mecum

vade mecum

v . d

Old English

wadan

to go, stride, wade

w . d

Middle Dutch

waden

waden

to go, stride, wade

w . d

 

 

Proto-Semitic *NŌD < *WŌD --- *WĀD-, *WŌD- Proto-Germanic < *VĀD- Indo-European

 

 

Old short roots are difficult to handle, but of basic importance in etymology, precisely because they belong to the fundamentals of human language. This root in the Bible serves among others the concept of going, moving towards a goal or with a goal, but also without defined goal, or a goal in unknown direction. This is valid even if somebody’s sons may "go wandering" , as is the normal translation of a phrase in which this root is used twice , that is in two words with this root. The text, found in Psalm 109:10, specifies "go wandering to find bread", which is not within an idea of vagueness. Those sons "go and go to find food" after having lost their houses .

 

The difference between the Latin and Hebrew roots lies in the developent of the V or W. In Latin it is pronounced with the help of a vowel A, in Hebrew it has become a vowel U.

 

The initial N is a confirming, or in this case perhaps even exhortating prefix, as often found in Hebrew in front of original roots of two consonants, in particular if they have a concept of moving.

 

This same root or a similar one is also used to indicate moving that is not just "going , wandering", but "trembling, waving, staggering".

 

Note:
  • Latin has a D and Hebrew a D or Ayin. One should ask if that makes the distance with Hebrew too great to still see an entry of similarity as justified. We suppose that this D has been introduced in both languages for a more pleasant or easy or well-sounding pronunciation of the various flexions of the verb. There is a strong indication for this in the fact that Italian still has the version "vo" besides" vado". A contraction of "vado" into "vo" would be an improbable supposition.

     

    This is confirmed by the existence in an old tongue like that of Milan of the same word "vo", pronounced between "vo" and "vu". Also in the subjunctive of Milanese we find our root in "vaga", with the introduction of a G for a proper pronunciation . It should be remarked that the guttural Ayin and the guttural G have some affinity.

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew also has the root " "N W D" as seen above. This root features thus a third consonant "D", expressing the concept of "to move to and fro, wander". This would seem to bring us nearer to Latin "vado".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. Proto-Semitic is considered as having had the same roots we see in Hebrew. "N W D" is present in Aramaic and Syriac " נ ו ד , nud = to go to and fro". In older times words more often expressed at the same time concepts like "go , come" or "rise, descend". So also in this case.

     :

    "N W Ayin" is as well seen in Aramaic, in " נ ו ע , nu‛à = to move". Then " נ ע נ ע, na‛en‛à says "he shook". The "waw" is gone and there is a doubled root. Comparable meanings are found in Arabic and Syriac. These seem developments away from the original meaning.

     

    Proto-Semitic may well have had both roots: "* נ ו ד N W D" and "* נ ו ע , N W Ayin". With the " N " being a confirming prefix, the older roots should have been in use in Proto-Semitic as "* ו ד W D", corresponding with Latin and Italian "vado" and "* ו ע , W Ayin", corresponding with Italian "vo, vu".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The group "W A D" is found also in Old Frisian "wada" and Middle Low German "waden". German as often has changed " D " into " T " in "waten", preceded by Old High German "watan" . Old Norse has "vaða". The hypothesis for Proto-Germanic must be "*W Ā D-". In the past tense a vowel " Ō is mostly used: "*W Ō D-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. There is a hypothesis "*WADH-", that we would prefer to read as "*W Ā D-", as there is no reason to suppose that the Indo-European final "D " was basically pronounced as "DH".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 14/11/2012 at 18.18.47