E 0790          (TO)  SEPARATE

The verb " to separate " is of Latin origin .

H 0860         ר פ ס

Concept of root : separation

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ר פ ס

sephar

frontier

Related English words

to separate, from Latin

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ר פ ס

sephar

frontier

s . ph . r

Greek

πειρας ;

-

-

περας

peiras ;

-

-

peras

frontier, extreme limit ;

limit, end

p . r .

Latin

saepes ;

-

saepio ;

-

separare

sepès;

-

sepio ;

-

separare

barrier, hedge;

to fence off, hedge in;

to separate

(s) p . r

English

to separate

to separate

(s) p . r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SAPAR --- *SAEP-ES, *SEPAR-O Latin

 

 

The frontier is something that separates territories from each other, exactly the function expressed by Latin "separare". But also it is the limit expressed by Greek "peiras". Yet uncertainty about a possible common origin reigns.

 

 

Note:
  • Greek. The word "peiras" is a version of "peras", that by the change from a straight vowel E into a diphthong EI has diversified the meaning from "limit" into "extreme limit". This is a very interesting example of linguistic development.

     

    We do not see in Greek the initial S we have found in Latin and Hebrew. This reduces considerably the similarity.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. The three-consonant combination S P R is also used to express other very important concepts, such as that of counting and telling. The meaning of this entry seems rather distinct from the others, without any clear semantic link. There is no verb serving this same message.

     

    There is another root, though, that is mentioned in entry E 0664 (Hebrew 0708), and that means "to separate".
    That is " פ ר ד , parad ".

     

    That the meaning "frontier" is based on that of "separation" in Hebrew is confirmed by the existence in Aramaic of "sphar'à = shore" and Akkadian "supuru= wall, fence".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . The abovementioned words in Aramaic and Akkadian give some basis for a hypothesis that this root was in use in Proto-Semitic : "*ס פ ר , S P R ".

 

Note:
  • Latin "separare" has an established etymology as a composition of "se(d) = for oneself" and "parare = to prepare, obtain". The odd thing is that "to separate" has no reflexive element, as "se(d)" would suggest, nor has it anything to do with the concepts of preparation and acquisition. Once more the similarity with Hebrew may open our eyes towards a different road.

     

    Thus there are various possible suppositions. If "separare" is composed of "se" and "parare", this "se" may be the same we find in words as "seponere = to put aside, away" and "seditio = the going aside, separation ". Thus "se" in our "separare" would carry a message of "away, divided from here". Coming to the second part "parare", this would be a normal formation of a verb on the basis of the word "par = equal".

     

    Consequently "separare" is simply "division", either "between equals" or " from (our) equals ". And we have the concept of division found in a frontier.

     

    With the other Latin words the situation is less complicated: "saepio" = "fence, barrier", with related verb "saepio" = to fence, close off". But here the similarity is reduced through the lack of the final " R ". It is still possible that these two words are not related to "separare".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. With the relative uncertainties about a possible common origin for Latin and Greek we do not present a hypothesis for Indo-European. The comparison remains between Semitic and Latin.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 28/11/2012 at 11.03.12