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GR 1241 TAMEION
H 0993 ן ו י מ ט
Concept of root : treasure
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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מ
ט
מ
ו
ן
ן ו י מ ט
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mathemon
thimeyon
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treasure
treasure
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Related English words
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none
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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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מ
ט
מ
ו
ן
ן ו י מ ט
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mathemon
thimeyon
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treasure
treasure
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th . m .
th . m . (n)
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Greek
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ταμ(ι)ειον
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tam(i)eyon
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treasure
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t . m . y
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Hebrew THIMEYON < Proto-Semitic *THAMAN < THOM --- *TAM-I-EYON Greek
The similarity between Hebrew Post Biblical "thimeyon" and Greek "tameyon" is great, and obviously one thinks immediately that Hebrew has been borrowed from Greek. Then we see that the same root of these two words was already present in the Bible, like in Proverbs : 4 , where we find the plural "mathemonim" of "mathemon". In this word "ma" is a prefix and "on" perhaps is not a suffix .
The Hebrew root "TH.M.N" say "to hide, conceal", and that is exactly what is done with treasures. What we then may suppose regarding "thimeyon" is a kind of half-borrowing, a way of being influenced by Greek. It has a TH because in Hebrew there already was "mathemon" . Perhaps on account of an earlier vowel " O ", as seen below, the vowel chosen became an "Ī" and not "A" as in Greek . "Tameion" was originally "tamieyon" .
A common origin may yet remain uncertain, if the Greek word comes from the concept of "to cut and divide" of the verb "τεμνω, temno = to cut off, wound, mutilate, divide, destroy", as many think. But this would be a very considerable semantic jump in which we do not believe .
Note:
- Proto-Semitic . We refer to entry E 0993 (Hebrew 0991): Hebrew has a second root with the meaning, "to hide, conceal", TH M R", that is also found in Aramaic " ט מ ר , themar" . Akkadian "thamāru = to cover with earth". So Proto-Semitic may have had "* ט מ ר , TH M R", and perhaps also the second Hebrew version, "* ט מ ן , TH M N" for " to bury, hide, conceal".
Then both these three consonant root may have had a common predecessor with two consonants :"* ט ם , TH M", also for " to bury, hide, conceal" . In our comparison we hypothesize the use of a central " W " or in the pronunciation the vowel " O ". This vowel " O " may have led to the later use of a vowel " Ī " in Hebrew "thimeyon".
Note:
- Proto-Semitic . We have no information available regarding possible Indo-European cognates outside Greek. The comparison remains between Semitic and Greek.
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 03/01/2013 at 17.43.08 |
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