E 0895          TAG

The word " tag " is of unknown origin .

H 0960         ג ת

Concept of root : tag

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ג ת

tag

sign, badge

Related English words

tag

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ג ת

tag

sign, badge

t . g

English

tag

tag

t . g

Middle English

tagge

tag

t . g

 

 

Proto-Semitic *TAG --- *TAG Indo-European

 

 

The meaning of these words is sufficiently near to consider them similar. The Hebrew word looks like a loanword really, but it is not spelled with Thet , ט , as is usual with loanwords.

 

In fact, "tag" is an old word, found in Post Biblical texts, where it means a "mark, sign ", especially in writing . This is not identical to modern English "tag" but may well be related .
There is another word found in Post Biblical Hebrew, "tag'à = crown", also present in other Semitic languages. For that reason "tag" is also seen as meaning originally "crownlet". But there is no basis for this . "Tag" is no diminutive of "tag'à", on the contrary, "tag'à" must have been developed out of the shorter "tag", to express a specific message, that of "crown".
A crown is a special kind of sign or mark indicating royalty or the likes.

 

 

Note:
  • English. This word "tag" is of unknown origin. There are written sources from the 16th century e.v., but an etymolology has not been found.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew in modern language has a verb " ת ו ה , tawà = to trace, mark (on paper)" and a noun " ת ו י , tewì = sketch". In the Bible the intensive form of the verb, " tiwè " was used for "to make signs". It might be related to "tag".

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. As stated before, the word "tag" is found in Post Biblical texts, but this does not at all imply that it did not exist in Biblical times. Many words are so called " hapax legomena" , which means that in the whole Bible they are found only once. Certainly many other existing words were never used for written Bible texts. In this case we see in Medieval Hebrew also a verb "tièg = to mark". That is an intensive form of a verb derived from an original "*tag" or "*tog".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. The aforementioned, as well Post Biblical Hebrew word "tag'à = crown" is also found in Aramaic and Syriac "ת ג א, tag'à = crown" and in fact it is presumed sure that it has been loaned from there. One may state that in such a case only the singular would have been loaned, as the Hebrew plurals are "tagot" and "tagin", which indicate that their singular is "tag" and in fact an old, perhaps Pre-Biblical word. So those plurals are regular for "tag = mark, sign". Little further information is available. The root is also found in Arabic with a cognate "taj", a typical Arab development from "tag". Therefore "taj" should not be seen as a loan from Persian, on the contrary. To all this must be added that Aramaic itself, besides " tag'à = crown", has the words "tegal and "tigal" for "mark, sign" . So anyhow the root of this entry was probably present in Proto-Semitic : "*ת ג , T G".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 07/12/2012 at 16.30.32