E 0860         SPIT

The word " spit " is of Germanic origin .

H 0927                 ד פ ש

Concept of root : to pierce through

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ד פ ש

shaphad; shiphèd

to transfix, stab

Related English words

spit

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ד פ ש

shaphad ; shiffèd

to transfix ;

 to stab

sh . ph . d

Old English

spitu

spit

s p . t

English

spit

spit

s p . t

Middle Dutch

spit, spet

spit, spet

spit

s p . t

Dutch

spit

spit

spit

s p .t

Old High German

spiz

shpìts

spit

sh p . ts

German

Spiess

shpìs

spit

s p . t

Swedish

spett

spett

spit

s p . t

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SHAPAD --- *SPĬT Proto-Germanic

 

 

We base the similarity on the fact that the function of an English "spit" is exactly that of transfixing the piece of meat or the whole animal that is to be roasted above the fire. We see from the table that the word "spit" is an old noun with a very specific meaning also in other languages.
In fact in Post Biblical Hebrew a "shappùd" is a spit for roasting meat. And Modern Hebrew "shaphad" is "to put on a spit ( meat for roasting)".

 

 

Note:
  • Loanword ? Usually, if there is a Greek word that has some similarity with a Hebrew word that is found in Post Biblical texts, some scholars tend to consider the Hebrew one as a loanword from Greek. Often one is carried too far off by such phantasies. In this case we have seen Greek "σποδος, spodos" even quoted with a meaning "spit" which it simply does not have. It says "ash" and the verb "σποδιζω, spodizo" explains that one can "cook" food under hot ash.

     

    And yet the reasoning goes as far as to claim that the normal Semitic word in Arabic, "saffud = spit" is a loanword from Aramaic "ש פ ו דא , shpud'à = spit ", also present in Syriac. And as well that the Hebrew and Semitic verb "sapad" had been shaped after the so-called loanword. The fact that "shappud" also stands for "point, sharp end", just like Aramaic and Syriac, is then simply disregarded!

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic is supposed to have had the same root still present in Hebrew: "*ש פ ד , SH P D". It is seen in Aramaic, Syriac and Arabic.

     

    Interesting is the existence in Hebrew, with cognates in other languages and predecessors in Proto-Semitic, of two roots that are rather similar and have the message of "to put on the fire": "ש פ ת , SH P T ". and "ש פ ה , SH P + accentuated vowel".

     

    The middle consonant " P " in Proto-Semitic certainly had its original pronunciation, that is also seen in several Hebrew verbal forms and in the related Aramaic word. The use of the " F " in Arabic poses the question if a change in pronunciation may have begun already in Proto-Semitic, but that remains uncertain.

 

Note:
  • English. Already in Old English the meaning of "spitu" was specifically that of a spit for roasting above the fire.

 

Note:
  • German. The noun "Spiess" means both "spear" and "spit". They are in reality two different nouns. The second meaning, which is that of this entry, has developed from Old High German "spiz" , that had added a sibilant to the original root. The other noun "Spiess", the one saying "spear", comes from Old High German "spioz". In modern language the difference has disappeared. In Dutch the difference has remained, with for "spear" the words "spies" and "spiets", besides "speer ".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic . The probable Proto-Germanic form is "*SP Ĭ T-". There are various sister words or cognates in Germanic tongues.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Indications towards possible cognates in other branches of Indo-European lack. The comparison stays between Semitic and Germanic, as frequently is the case.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 07/02/2013 at 10.45.58