E 0963          VERT

The word " vert " is a loanword from French .

H 1065        ק ו ר י , ק ר י

Concept of root : green of plants

 Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ק; ר י

-

-

ק ו ר י

yaraq;

-

yereq;

yaroq

to be green,

greenery;

green thing;

green

Related English words

vert, from French

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ק ר י ;

-

-

ק ו ר י

yaraq ;

-

yereq ;

yaroq

to be green;

greenery;

green thing

green (thing)

y . r . q <

*w . r . q

Latin

virere

virére

to be green (plants)

v . r .

French

vert

vèr

green

v . r (t)

English

vert

vert,

green vegetation

v . r (t)

 

 

Proto-Semitic *YARAQ < *WARAQ --- *VIR-Ē-Ō Latin

 

 

Both Latin and Hebrew have this root basically to indicate the natural green aspect of plants and grasses. The difference is that Hebrew has added a third consonant, as is its habit from ancient times, in part for linguistic necessity ( forming of flexions ) and in part for diversification from too similar roots, of which there are many with "*W+R", just as in Indo European.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew for green plants also has the word " א ר ת, orot ". An initial Aleph is found in several Semitic words, as seen in the following Note. This is an indication that also in the root "Y R Q" the third consonant Q may not always have been there.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . The existing hypothesis " * ו ר ק, W . R . Q " confirms our supposition for the origin of Hebrew " י ר ק , Y R Q". The third consonant " Q " is anyhow seen in Semitic languages as in Aramaic " א ו ר י ק, oriq = grew green". Ugaritic uses the root "Y R Q" as Hebrew for "to be(come) green". Akkadian "arqu = green", and "arāqu" with regard to the human face says "it grow green", just as in English. A bit less clear are Arabic waraq = leaf" (supposedly green) and Ethiopian that has "warq" for "gold".

 

Note:
  • Latin "virēre" lives on in French "vert" and Spanish and Italian "verde". The use of an additional dental comes from Latin "viridis", an adjective that stand for "greenish, green". In this word "-dis" is a suffix.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Regretfully no cognates of Latin "virēre" seem to have been found. A hypothesis for Indo-European different from Latin is not available.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 17/12/2012 at 18.12.08