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INDO-EUROPEAN & SEMITIC ROOTS APPENDICES
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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n. A temple tower of ancient Mesopotamia, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories. [Akkadian ziqqurratu, temple tower, from zaqāru, to build high; see zqr in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]  (click for a larger image) zigguratthe Ziggurat of Ur in a modern rendering |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
