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E 0845 SOLVENT
The word " solvent " is of
Latin origin .
H 0911 ם ל
ש
Concept of root : to pay debt
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ם ל ש
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shillèm
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to pay
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Related English words
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solvent,
fromLatin
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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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ם ל ש
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shillèm
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to pay
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sh . l . m
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Latin
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solvere
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solvere
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to pay
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s . l v
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English
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solvent
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solvent
( able to pay )
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s . l v
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Proto-Semitic *SHALAM < *SHALÀ --- *SOL-V-ERE Latin
The common origin we suppose is not in the full groups of three consonants we find in "shillèm" : "SH+L+M". It is based on the fact that the meaning of this verb is expressed
already in Hebrew in a narrowly related verb without the third consonant "M" : "shalà" that stands for "to be quiet, at ease, tranquil" just as somebody who has paid his debts.
The concept of paying in this case is always that of a payment one is obliged to make, basically the payment of a debt. There lies also the origin of the combination of two concepts, those of "living in quiet and peace" and "assolving one’s debts". He who does not pay his debts, not easily will live in peace. We see in Hebrew the root of the entry E 0838 (Hebrew 0910), considered in the basic form of verb "shalam = to be at peace" and the related noun "shalom = peace".
Note:
- Latin "solvere" also means " to loosen, untie " and in this sense has been mentioned in entry E 0834 (Hebrew 0907). Usually "solvere" in the sense of "to pay" is seen as a figurative meaning of "to loosen", but the problem is that he who pays frees himself of a debt, and is not setting free somebody else. So we have to place a mark of doubt behind that thesis. Other messages by "solvere" are related to one of each two, such as " to dissolve", " to demolish" and "to declare cancelled" .
The similarity with Hebrew induces us to doubt that the verb "solvere" or "soluere" comes from "se" + "luere". The O remains unexplainable, but even more counts that he who "solvit" does not "luere" himself . "Luere" means that somebody is punished and has to expiate his faults, which is not at all identical to paying a civil debt. The problem of the etymology of "solvere" is dealt wih more extensively in entry E 0834 (Hebrew 0907). We quote this passage here:
Note:
- Latin "solvere" is also found in entry E 0834 (Hebrew 0907) , in a different similarity with Hebrew. The existing view is that "solvo, solvi, solutum", with supposed older forms as "*soluit, *soluisse", is a composed verb : "se" + "luo". There are two verbs "luo". One is known only in "abluo,abluere" that is identical in meaning to the well known verb "lavo, lavare = to wash". The other is "luo, lui, luriturus, luere", used to say "to mend, atone, pay, undergo one's punishment".
None of these meanings, combined with "oneself ( Latin se- )", leads to the group of meanings of "solvo", that again can be divided in two. One is "to loosen ( a horse, an anchor), open (a letter>), to pay a debt, to free, to release from an obligation". The "oneself" part does not fit very well into this pattern. Moreover there is the need for a "se solvere" and for a "me solvet vitulus" (a sacrifice "solvet" me).
The second group of meanings comprises "to demolish, to dissolve, to weaken, to terminate etcetera.
Then it is important to see that "solvo" was not very much felt as a composed verb, as the Romans made new composed verbs on the basis of solvo : "absolvo, exsolvo, persolvo, resolvo".
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. If we compare the Hebrew root with other Semitic languages, we see that most also have "SH L M", but that Arabic has " S L M". This has left scholars uncertain and there are two hypothetical roots for Proto-Semitic, "*SH L M" and "*S L M". We might note that "* S L M " may have been present in Proto-Semitic, as also the Indo European words of this entry show us "S L M ". But on the other hand we see a frequent shifting between the two forms "SH" and "S" as well as "TS", also in the pronunciation of modern European languages. So we stick to the majority for a Proto-Semitic "*ש ל ם , SH L M". This goes back to an earlier two consonant combination "*ש ל ה , SH L + H (accentuated vowel)".
Note:
- Indo-European. Lack of clarity around the etymology of Latin "solvere" dissuades from a hypothesis for Indo-European based on the development towards Latin.
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: Thursday 7 February 2013 at 16.12.07 |
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