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E 0887 (TO) SWALLOW, SWILL
The verbs " to swallow " and
" to swill " are of Germanic origin .
H 1085 ל ל ו ז
Concept of root : to eat excessively
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ל ל ו ז
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zolel
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swilling;
glutton
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Related English words
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to swill, swallow
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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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ל ל ו ז
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zolel
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swilling;
glutton
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z . l . l <
*z .
w . l
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Old English
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swelgan
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to devour, swill food
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s w . l g
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English
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to swill ;
swallow
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to swill ;
swallow
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s w . l
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Dutch
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zwelgen
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zwčlghen
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to devour, swill food
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z w . l g
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Hebrew *ZALAL, *ZOLEL < Proto-Semitic *ZOL --- *SWÈL- > *SWÈLG Proto-Germanic
English "to swill" refers to both eating and drinking, eagerly or excessively. "To swallow" is still used to say " to devour", but mostly it refers just to the ordinary way of taking in food. The same goes for Middle Dutch "swelgen" that says both "to swallow" and "to swill". There has been some mix-up of meanings between the root "S W . L" and the extended root "S W . L G".
We find in this entry Germanic words that begin with "ZW-" or "SW-", with the " W " pronounced as consonant, that corresponds with Hebrew "ZW-", in which the " W " becomes a vowel " O ". This is one of the phenomena seen in the sound group "V W U O", that is working in both Indo-European and Semitic. One notes that some Germanic words have a consonant " G " at the end of the root (Dutch "zwelgen"), and this can be found also in Hebrew "ז ל ג , Z . L . G , zalag = to pour, flow, drip " and "ז ל ח , Z . L . GH , zalagh = to pour, spray". The meanings are related but have grown somewhat apart. A third Hebrew verb with meanings similar to "Z L GH" is "ז ל ף , Z . L . PH , zalaph = "
Note:
- Hebrew. The three consonant combination "Z L L" in Hebrew is used to express some very different concepts, like "to be mean, vile", "to despise, neglect", "to shake, agitate" and "to be a glutton, voracious". We do not see how three so different concepts might have a common origin. Semantically they do not have so. Consequently there are more similar independent roots. We must limit ourselfves then to the "voraciousness" that shows in message as well as soundwise similarity with Germanic.
The three consonant root "Z . L . L" , together with the roots "Z . L . G", "Z . L . GH" and "Z . L . P" have developed out of an earlier " Z . L", that goes back to " Z W L ", that exists in Hebrew and Aramaic and is used for the meanings of "to waste, lavish" and "to be cheap, worthless". A very rich use has been made of roots with "Z L " and Z W L".
Note:
- English " to swill" is not clearly linked in meaning to Old English "swilian", as that verb is said to have meant " to wash out".
Note:
- Proto-Semitic . We have no information from other Semitic languages for the specific meaning" of "voraciousness" and "glutton". In fact within Hebrew we already see no semantic link from our " zolel = to be a glutton " to the identical Hebrew "zolel = to be despised, worthless" and with that neither to Arabic " "dhalla = was mean, vile". But the widespread use of the combination "Z W L" finds its explanation in its existence (hypothetical as always) in Proto-Semitic.
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. For "to swill" there is the Old English predecessor "swillan", that probably has to be distinguished from the abovementioned "swilian = to wash out, gurgle". The Middle Dutch "swellen" was used for "to live excessively" a meaning presumably developed out of the way of consuming food and drink. Further Icelandic "sollur = drinking-bout" comes near, with a possible common origin.
For "to swallow" the predecessor is Old English "swelgan, pt. swealh, swulgon, pp. swolgen". There are sisters in Old Saxon "farswelgan", Old High German "swelhan, swalh, giswolgan", Old Norse "svelga, svalg, sulgu, solginn". This last language is particularly interesting as it shows the change from the consonant " W " into a vowel " U ". Old High German has also the word "swelgo = glutton". Proto-Germanic presumably had a form "*SW È LG-", besides using also other vowels. This is considered as having been developed out of an earlier form without the final " G " or " H ".
Note:
- Indo-European. There seems to be availabe no information about possible cognates in other branches of Indo-European. Thus the comparison, as often, stays between Semitic and Germanic.
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 20/12/2012 at 16.18.19 |
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