E 0683          PHENOMENON

The word " phenomenon " is, via Latin, of Greek origin .

H 0701            ס נ פ

Concept of root : shining

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ס נ פ

panas

lantern

Related English words

phenomenon

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ס נ פ

panas

lantern

p . n . s

Greek

φαινω

phaino

to shine

ph . n

English

phenome-non

phenome-non

ph . n

 

 

Proto-Semitic *PANAS < *PAN --- PHAINO < PHĂN Greek < *PĂN, *BĂN Indo-European

 

 

In Greek many initial P-sounds had already become PH, when the Greeks adopted alphabetic writing. But their origin was still P. Also the written symbol φ was based on the old symbol for P.

 

Thus the difference between Greek PH and Hebrew P in this case is not too significant. Shining is the thing a lantern should do and therefore the two words, "panas" for "lantern" and "phaino" for "to shine" can be compared.

 

As usual, if a word is not found in the written texts of the Bible, and has something in common with a Greek word, some scholars suppose Hebrew loaned the word from Greek. The Greeks spoke about "phaino = féno" as a verb and had no word "fénos" or "fénas". So how would the Jews have made "panas" out of "féno" ? In fact there is more to it. Greek had also the word "φ α ν ο ς, phanos = torch, lamp", seen in Aristophanes, and even π α ν ο ς, panós", used by Aeschylos. So loaning is possible, with an unnecessary change of the word. But it remains improbable.

 

But at the end perhaps there is just the common origin that leads to a certain similarity of not identical words. This happens infinite times. This view finds further confirmation when those desirable shiny objects as pearls are, in the Bible, Proverbs 31.10, are expressed with the lengthened root "פ נ ן , P N N" in "peninim".

 

 

Note:
  • Greek and Hebrew have the same first two consonants , but Hebrew has added a third one, the S . We find only a narrow interface in this case, as " panas "is a rather isolated word . There is also a verb " panan ", meaning " to scintillate ", but that is a new word with a root, lengthened through the doubling of the second consonant. It has the same root as the mentioned noun " פ נ י נ י ם , peninim ", that stands for " pearls" or " shiny coral ".

 

Note:
  • Greek "phaino" has a rather wide range of meanings, among which "to shine". Others are "to appear, manifest, show" and consequent figurative senses.

 

Note:
  • English " phenomenon " belongs to a groups of words that are based on the same Greek root of this entry , such as " phenomenal " and " phenotype ".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. We have no evidence from other Semitic languages that would allow a solid hypothesis for Proto-Semitic, that probably existed if the Hebrew word "panas" indeed has not been based on loaning.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Old Indian: "bhāna- = appearance, evidence" in a neutral meaning. The same root with bhānú-= appearance, light, splendour" adds the "shining" also found in Greek. With the same combination of meanings there is also a sister root with "M" instead of "N" : "bhāma-". But the consonant "N" is not present in the verbal form "bhāti = to shine, be bright" and the noun "bhā(s) = light, splendour". In some composed words, with the prefix "vi", we see a consonant "V": "vi-bhāva-, vi-bhāvan-" = brilliant, light". Old Indian probable had "BH Ā-" as wel as (still?) "BH Ā N-".

     

    Avestan, not too unlike Old Indian has a second consonant "N" in "bānu- = ray of light", an "M" in "bāmya- = bright, shining" and no second consonant in ā-bā- = "to shine".

     

    Armenian "banam = to unveil" may be far related in meaning, but does not give sufficient support.

     

    Celtic: Old Irish "bān = white" is probabaly related but the meaning has travelled off rather much.

     

    Germanic "*B Ō N-", that probably existed , said "to polish, scrub" which may point at the effect of "to shine" but remains too far off to support a hypothesis, especially with "appearing" being distant.

     

    Indo European on the basis of the available information, may have had "*P Ā N-", but also "*B Ā N-" may have been used .

 

 

 

 

 
"...the town, to which was given the name Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the language of all the world on the face of which He dispersed them. GENESIS 11,9"
 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 29/12/2012 at 15.38.56