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The American Heritage Dictionary Semitic Roots Appendix

The letter ʾ (aleph) and the letter ʿ (ayin) are alphabetized before the letter a. Therefore, ʿbd follows ʾzr and b follows ʿzz.

For more information about this section, please refer to the Guide to the Semitic Roots Appendix.

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ʾ, ʿ, b, d, ḏ, g, ġ, h, ḥ, ḫ, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, ś, š, ṣ, ṣ́, t, ṯ, ṭ, ṯ̣, w, x̣, y, z.

‌ʾb
Common Semitic noun *ʾab‑, father.

Abraham, from Hebrew ʾabrāhām, the (divine) father is exalted, from ʾab, reduced form of ʾāb, father.
Job, from Hebrew ʾiyyôb, perhaps from an early Northwest Semitic dialectal name meaning "where is the father?", from ʾôb, father, of dialectal origin, akin to Hebrew ʾāb, father. (Alternatively, ʾiyyôb may be akin to Hebrew ʾōyēb, enemy; see ʾyb).
1. Joab, from Hebrew yôʾāb, Yahweh (is) father (yô, Yahweh; see hwy);
2. Ahab, from Hebrew ʾaḥʾāb, father's brother (ʾaḥ, brother; see ʾḫ). Both a and b from ʾāb, father.
1. Abigail, from Hebrew ʾăbîgayil, my father (is) joy (see gyl);
2. Absalom, from Hebrew ʾabšālōm, short for ʾăbîšālōm, my father (is) peace (šālōm, peace; see šlm). Both a and b from Hebrew ʾăbî, shortened form of ʾābî, my father, from ʾāb, father.
1. baobab, from North African Arabic bū ḥibāb, tree of many seeds;
2. borage, probably from Arabic būʿaraq, from ʾabū ʿaraq, father of sweat;
3. bwana, from Arabic ʾabūnā, our father;
4. pataca, from Arabic ʾabū ṭāqa, "father of the window," a type of coin. a-e all from Arabic ʾabū, bound form of ʾab, father, source.
1. abba, abbacy, abbatial, abbé, abbess, abbey, abbot, from Aramaic ʾabbā, the father, my father, from ʾab, father;
2. Barabbas, from Aramaic bar-ʾabbā, son of the father (see bn).

‌ʾbb
To blossom (?).

1. Abib, from Hebrew ʾābîb, young barley, spring, a month name;
2. Tel Aviv, from Hebrew tēl ʾābîb, barley tell (see tll).
Addis Ababa, from Amharic addis abäba, new flower, from abäba, flower, from abbäbä, to blossom (addis, new; see ḥdṯ).

‌ʾbq
West Semitic noun *ʾabaq‑, dust, chaff, whence denominative verb, to be(come) dusty.

: abacus, from Greek abax, abak‑, counting board, perhaps from Hebrew ʾābāq, dust.

‌ʾd
Common Semitic noun *ʾad‑, father, lord.

Adonai, from Hebrew ʾădônāy, my lord, from ʾādôn, lord (-ay, my; see -y).
Adonis, from Greek Adōnis, from Phoenician *ʾadōn, lord. Both 1 and 2 from Common Semitic extended form *ʾadān‑, lord.

‌ʾdm
Central Semitic noun *ʾadam‑, human being, perhaps akin to Common Semitic noun *dam‑, blood, and the root *ʾdm, red, ground.

: Adam, from Hebrew ʾādām, human being, man, humanity.

‌ʾḏn
Common Semitic noun *ʾuḏn‑, ear.

azan, from Arabic ʾaḏān, call to prayer, from ʾaḏḏana, to call to prayer, derived stem of ʾaḏina, to listen, denominative from ʾuḏn, ear.
muezzin, from Arabic muʾaḏḏin, muezzin, active participle of ʾaḏḏana (see above).

‌ʾgr
To hire, rent.

: agora², from Hebrew ʾăgôrâ, payment, coin, from ʾāgar, to hire.

‌ʾḫ
Common Semitic noun *ʾaḫ‑, brother.

Ahab, from Hebrew ʾaḥʾāb, father's brother, from ʾaḥ, irregular bound form of ʾāḥ, brother (ʾāb, father; see ʾb).
Sennacherib, from Akkadian Sîn-aḫḫī-erība, Sin has replaced the (lost) brothers for me, from aḫḫī, oblique plural of aḫu, brother (erība, he has replaced for me; see rʾb).
Esarhaddon, from Akkadian Aššur-aḫa-iddin, Ashur has given a brother, from aḫa, accusative of aḫu (see above; iddin, has given; see ntn).

‌ʾḫr
(To be) late, behind, in back.

: Achernar, from Arabic ʾaḫīr, last, end.

‌ʾl
God.

Common Semitic basic form *ʾil‑, god.
1. 1. Azazel, from Hebrew ʿăzāʾzēl, perhaps corrupt for ʿăzaz-ʾēl, God has been strong (personal name);
  2. bethel, from Hebrew bêtʾēl, house of God;
  3. Daniel, from Hebrew dānīʾēl, dānīyēʾl, my judge (is) God (alternatively, God has judged);
  4. Ezekiel, from Hebrew yəḥezqēʾl, God has strengthened;
  5. Gabriel, from Hebrew gabrîʾēl, my strong one (is) God (see gpr);
  6. Ishmael, from Hebrew yišmāʿēʾl, God has heard (see šmʿ);
  7. Israel, from Hebrew yiśrāʾēl, God has striven, God has saved;
  8. Joel, from Hebrew yôʾēl, Yahweh (is) God;
  9. Michael, from Hebrew mîkāʾēl, who (is) like God?;
  10. Nathanael, from Hebrew nətanʾēl, God has given (see ntn);
  11. Raphael, from Hebrew rəpāʾēl, God has healed (rəpāʾ, he has healed; see rpʾ);
  12. Samuel, from Hebrew šəmûʾēl, name of God (alternatively, the name (is) God; see šm);
  13. schlemiel, perhaps from Hebrew personal name šəlūmîʾēl, my well-being (is) God. a-m all from Hebrew ʾēl, God;
  14. Elijah, from Hebrew ʾēlîyāhû, my God (is) Yahweh, from ʾēlî, my God, from ʾēl (see above) + -î, my;
  15. Elisha, from Hebrew ʾĕlîšāʿ, God (is) salvation, from ʾĕl, shortened form of ʾēl, God (see above; -îšāʿ, salvation; see wṯʿ);
  16. Elizabeth, from Hebrew ʾĕlîšebaʿ, my God (is) an oath, from ʾĕlî, reduced form of ʾēlî, my God (see above; -šebaʿ, oath; see šbʿ);
  17. Lazarus, from Hebrew ʾelʿāzār, God has helped, from ʾel, reduced form of ʾēl, God (see above; ʿāzār, he has helped; see ʿḏr).
2. 1. Babylon, from Akkadian bābili, gate of the god, from ilu, god;
  2. Babel, from Hebrew bābel, from Akkadian bāb ili, Babylon (see above).
3. Enlil, from Sumerian refashioning of Semitic *ʾilil, probably "god of gods," reduplication of *ʾil‑.
Central Semitic extended form ʾilāh‑, god.
1. Elohim, from Hebrew ʾĕlōhîm, God, plural (used as singular) of ʾĕlōah, god.
2. 1. Allah, from Arabic allāh, the god, God, from al‑, the + ʾilāh, god;
  2. ayatollah, from Arabic ʾāyatu llāh, sign of God;
  3. Bahaullah, from Arabic bahāʾu llāh, splendor of God; a-c all from Arabic llah, elided form of allāh (see above).

‌ʾlp
Common Semitic noun *ʾalp‑, ox.

aleph, from Hebrew ʾālep, aleph;
alpha, alphabet, from Greek alpha. Both a and b from Phoenician *ʾalp, ox, first letter of the Phoenician alphabet.

‌ʾmm
West Semitic, to go toward, lead.

: imam, from Arabic ʾimām, leader, imam, from ʾamma, to go, lead.

‌ʾmn
West Semitic, to be firm, confirmed, reliable, faithful, have faith, believe.

amen, from Hebrew ʾāmēn, truly, certainly;
Mammon, from Aramaic māmonā, probably from Mishnaic Hebrew māmôn, probably from earlier *maʾmōn (? "security, deposit"). Both a and b from Hebrew ʾāman, to be firm.

‌ʾmr
To see, know, make known, say.

: emir; admiral, from Arabic ʾamīr, commander, prince, and ʾamīr al-..., commander of the ... (as in ʾamīr al-baḥr, commander of the sea), from ʾamara, to command, order.

‌ʾpd
Common Semitic noun *ʾipād‑, a type of garment.

: ephod, from Hebrew ʾēpôd, ephod, probably akin to Old Assyrian Akkadian epattum, a costly garment.

‌ʾpl
To be(come) late, do later, answer.

Assurbanipal, from Akkadian aššur-bāni-apli, Ashur (is) the creator of the heir, from apli, genitive of aplu, heir, from apālu, to be(come) late, come later, come after (bāni, creator; see bny).
Tiglathpileser, from Hebrew tiglat pilʾeser, from Akkadian tukultī-apil-ešarra, my trusted one (is) the heir of Esharra (the main temple of the god Ashur in the Assyrian religious capital of Assur; the "heir of Esharra" is the god Ashur), from aplu, heir (see above; tukultī, my trusted one; see wkl).

‌ʾrṣ́
Common Semitic noun *ʾarṣ́‑, earth.

: Ardipithecus, from Afar ardi, earth, from Arabic ʾarḍ.

‌ʾrz
West Semitic noun *ʾarz‑, cedar.

: alerce, from Arabic ʾarz, cedar.

‌ʾšd
Central Semitic noun *ʾaš(a)d‑, lion.

: Denebola, from Arabic al-ʾasad, the lion.

‌ʾwl
Central Semitic root meaning "front, first."

: mohel, from Mishnaic Hebrew môhēl, active participle of māhal, to circumcise, from Aramaic məhal, akin to Biblical Hebrew māl, to circumcise (perhaps originally "to remove the front"), from môl, front, from earlier *maʾōl.

‌ʾwr
Central Semitic, to be(come) light.

Urim and Thummim, from Hebrew ʾûrîm, perhaps plural of ʾûr, flame, light;
Uriah, from Hebrew ʾûrîyāh, my light (is) Yahweh, from ûrî, my light, from ûr, light + -î, my (yāh, Yahweh; see hwy). Both a and b from Hebrew ʾôr, to be(come) light.

‌ʾwy
Common Semitic noun *ʾāyat‑, sign, mark (*-at‑, feminine suffix).

: aya, ayatollah, from Arabic ʾāya, sign.

‌ʾyb
To be(come) hostile to, hate; in nominal forms, enemy.

: Job, from Hebrew ʾiyyôb, perhaps akin to Hebrew ʾōyēb, enemy, participle of ʾāyab, to hate. (Alternatively, ʾiyyôb may mean "where is the father?"; see ʾb and ʾyy.)

‌ʾyy
Common Semitic interrogative stem *ʾayy‑, which?, where?.

Job, from Hebrew ʾiyyôb, perhaps from an early Northwest Semitic dialectal name meaning "where is the father?", from ʾiyy, where?, akin to Hebrew ʾê, where? (ʾôb, father; see ʾb. Alternately, ʾiyyôb may be akin to Hebrew ʾōyēb, enemy; see ʾyb.)
Jezebel, from Hebrew ʾîzebel, where is the prince?, from î, akin to ê, ʾayyē, where? (zebel, prince; see zbl).

‌ʾzr
Central Semitic, to surround, gird.

Mizar, from Arabic miʾzar, covering, apron (compare also the probably denominative derived stem ʾazzara, to clothe, cover).
vizier, from Arabic wazīr, vizier, minister, burdened, either from ʾāzara, to help, derived stem of ʾazara, to surround (see above), or from wazara, to carry a burden, take upon oneself (see wzr).

‌ʿbd
Central Semitic, to serve, work; noun *ʿabd‑, servant, slave.

Obadiah, from Hebrew ʿōbadyāh, servant of Yahweh, from ʿōbad, alternate form of ʿebed, servant, slave.
Abednego, from Hebrew ʿăbēd-nəgô, probably alteration of ʿăbēd-nəbô, servant of Nabu, from ʿăbēd, alternate form of ʿebed, servant (nəbô, Nabu, from Akkadian nabû).

‌ʿḏr
Central Semitic, to help.

Ezra, from Hebrew ʿezrāʾ, hypocoristic form of a name such as ʿazrîʾēl, God (is) my help, from ʿazr‑, ʿezr‑, presuffixal form of ʿēzer, help (ʾēl, God; see ʾl).
Lazarus, from Hebrew ʾelʿāzār, God has helped, from ʿāzār, he has helped, lengthened form of ʿāzar, to help (ʾel, God; see ʾl).
Hasdrubal, from Latin Hasdrubāl, from Phoenician (Punic) *ʿazrō-baʿl, his help (is) Baal, from *ʿazrō, his help, from ʿazr, help, from *ʿzr, to help + *-ō, his (*baʿl, Baal; see bʿl).

‌ʿgn
West Semitic, to press, bend.

: lamejun, from Arabic ʿajīn, dough, from ʿajina, to knead.

‌ʿlm
Arabic root, to know.

: ulema, from Arabic ʿulamāʾ, plural of ʿālim, wise, learned, active participle of ʿalima, to know.

‌ʿly
To ascend, become high, exalted.

aliyah, from Hebrew ʿălīyâ, ascent, from ʿālâ, to ascend.
shalom aleichem, from Hebrew ʿălêkem, to you, from ʿal, ʿălê, to, toward, upon (a preposition akin to ʿālâ, to ascend) + -kem, you (plural).
Eli, from Hebrew ʿēlî, exalted, probably short for a name meaning "God is exalted" or the like.
Enuma Elish, (name of the Babylonian creation epic), from Akkadian enūma elîš, when on high (first words of the epic; enūma, when; see ywm), from elîš, above, on high, from elû, high, upper, verbal adjective of elû, to be high, tall + -iš, adverbial suffix.

‌ʿmm
Common Semitic noun *ʿamm‑, paternal kinsman, kin, clan, people.

1. Jeroboam, from Hebrew yārobʿām, the (divine) kinsman increased (yārob, he increased; see rbb);
2. Rehoboam, from Hebrew rəḥabʿām, the (divine) kinsman has increased (rəḥab, he has increased; see rḥb). Both a and b from Hebrew ʿām, people, clan (earlier also "kinsman").
Ammonite, from Hebrew ʿammônî, Ammonite, from ʿammôn, Ammon, perhaps from Canaanite *ʿamm, paternal kinsman, kin.
umma, from Arabic ʾumma, nation, people, community, from Aramaic ʾumməṯā, from Akkadian ummatu, troop, probably from earlier *ʿammatum, feminine of *ʿamm, paternal kinsman.
Hammurabi, from Akkadian ḫammurāpi, from Amorite *ʿammu-rāpiʾ, the (divine) kinsman (is) a healer, from *ʿammu, kinsman (*rāpiʾ, healer; see rpʾ).

‌ʿmr
Central Semitic, to live, dwell, build; noun *ʿumr‑, life.

Omri, (king of Israel), from Hebrew ʿomrî, probably short for *ʿomrîyāh, my life (is) Yahweh, from ʿomrî, my life, from *ʿōmer (< *ʿumr‑), life.
1. Omar, from Arabic ʿumar, probably akin to ʿumr, life;
2. imaret, from Arabic ʿimāra, building. Both a and b from Arabic ʿamara, to live, dwell, build.

‌ʿms
Central Semitic, to load, carry.

: Amos, from Hebrew ʿāmôs, perhaps "carried (by the divinity)," from ʿāmas, to load, carry.

‌ʿqb
West Semitic, to follow, guard, protect.

: jack, jacket, Jacob, Jacobin, Jacquerie, James, from Hebrew yaʿăqōb, (God) has protected, from early Northwest Semitic *yaʿqub, preterite of *ʿaqaba, to follow, guard.

‌ʿql
West Semitic, to bend, bind, confine.

: agal, from Arabic ʿiqāl, cord for hobbling a camel, agal, from ʿaqala, to confine, hobble.

‌ʿrb
To enter, stand surety or bail for, guarantee.

arbiter, from Latin arbiter, judge, from Phoenician (Punic) *ʿarb, surety, guarantee.
earnest², from Greek arrabōn, from Canaanite *ʿirrabōn, pledge, surety, akin to Hebrew ʿērābôn, from *ʿaraba, to enter, stand surety for.
eruv, from post-Biblical Hebrew ʿêrûb, eruv, verbal noun of ʿērēb, to mix, denominative verb from Hebrew ʿēreb, mixture (perhaps < *"an entering among").
Arabic root form ġrb, to depart. Maghreb, Morocco, from Arabic maġrib, place where the sun sets, west, from ġaraba, to depart, set (of the sun).

‌ʿrp
Central Semitic, to reckon, know.

: tariff, from Arabic taʿrīf, notification, infinitive of ʿarrafa, to announce, inform, derived stem of ʿarafa, to know.

‌ʿrq¹
West Semitic, to gnaw, strip.

: erg², from Maghrebi Arabic ʿarq, ʿarg, colloquial pronunciation of Arabic ʿirq, vein, tract of sand extending along the ground (perhaps < *"something stripped off, strip, strand").

‌ʿrq²
Arabic root, to sweat. Perhaps a specialized semantic development of ʿrq¹ (< *"to become emaciated"? < "to gnaw, strip&;rdquo;).

arak, arrack, raki, from Arabic ʿaraq, originally short for ʿaraq al-tamr, literally, sweat of the date (arak originally having been distilled from date wine), from ʿaraq, sweat;
borage, probably from Arabic būʿaraq, from ʾabū ʿaraq, father of sweat. Both a and b from Arabic ʿaraq, sweat, from ʿariqa, to sweat, perspire.

‌ʿśr
Common Semitic *ʿaśr‑, ten.

: Ashura, from Arabic ʿāšūrāʾ, the tenth of Muharram kept as a fast day by Arabs in pre-Islamic times, Ashura, ultimately (probably via Aramaic *ʿāsorā) from Hebrew ʿāśôr, a set of ten (days, etc.), decade (used in Leviticus to specify the date of Yom Kippur, the tenth of Tishri), from ʿeśer, ten.

‌ʿṣr
West Semitic, to press. restrain, retain.

Shemini Atzereth, from Hebrew ʿăṣeret, assembly, gathering, from ʿāṣar, to retain.
alizarin, probably from Arabic al-ʿuṣāra, the juice, from ʿaṣara, to squeeze.

‌ʿṣ́d
To reap, cut.

: alidade, from Arabic al-ʿiḍāda, the side, border, region, revolving radius of a circle, alternate form of ʿaḍud, humerus, from ʿaḍada, to lop, cut (trees).

‌ʿṯtr
Common Semitic masculine noun *ʿaṯtar‑, feminine *ʿaṯtart‑, gods representing the morning and evening stars.

Ashtoreth, from Hebrew ʿaštōret, taboo-deformation (with the vowels of bōšet, shame, shameful thing) of earlier *ʿašteret.
1. Astarte, from Greek Astartē, from Phoenician *ʿaštart;
2. Aphrodite, from Greek Aphrodītē, probably ultimately from Phoenician *ʿaštart, Astarte (influenced by Greek aphros, foam).
1. Ishtar, from Akkadian ištar;
2. Esther, from Hebrew ʾestēr, perhaps from Akkadian ištar, Ishtar (or from Persian sitareh, star; see ster-³ in Appendix I).

‌ʿṭr
West Semitic, to smoke, burn incense.

: attar, from Arabic ʿaṭir, aromatic, from ʿaṭira, to be fragrant.

‌ʿwr
West Semitic, to be(come) blind.

: average, from Arabic ʿawārīya, damaged goods, from ʿawār, blemish, from ʿawira, to become one-eyed, damaged.

‌ʿyn
Common Semitic noun *ʿayn‑, eye.

: ayin, from Hebrew ʿayin, eye, ayin.

‌ʿzz
To be(come) strong.

: Azazel, from Hebrew ʿăzāʾzēl, name of a demon, perhaps corrupt for ʿăzaz-ʾēl, God has been strong (personal name), from ʿăzaz, reduced form of ʿāzaz, to be strong (ʾēl, God; see ʾl).

‌b
Common Semitic preposition bi‑, in, on, at, with.

: lamejune, from Arabic laḥm bi-'ajīn, meat with dough, from bi‑, with.

‌bʾr
Common Semitic noun *biʾr‑, well, cistern.

Beersheba, from Hebrew bəʾēr šebaʿ, well of oath, from bəʾēr, well (šebaʿ, oath; see šbʿ).
Beirut, from Arabic bayrūt, from Phoenician *biʾrōt, plural of *biʾr, well.

‌bʿl
Common Semitic noun *baʿl‑, lord.

1. Baal, from Hebrew baʿal, lord, Baal;
2. Beelzebub, from Hebrew baʿal zəbûb, lord (of the) fly, pejorative alteration of baʿal zəbûl, lord prince (name of a Philistine god; see ḏbb and zbl).
1. Hannibal, from Phoenician (Punic) *ḥannī-baʿl, my grace (is) Baal (see ḥnn);
2. Hasdrubal, from Phoenician (Punic) *ʿazrō-baʿl, his help (is) Baal (see ʿḏr). Both a and b from Phoenician (Punic) *baʿl, lord, Baal.
Belshazzar, from Hebrew bēlšaṣṣar, from Akkadian bēl-šar-uṣur, "Bel, protect the king," from bēl, absolute form of bēlu, lord, Bel (Akkadian god; šar, king, and uṣur, protect; see śrr and nṯr).

‌bdl
To change, divide, separate.

: habdalah, from Hebrew habdālâ, separation, from hibdîl, to divide, separate.

‌bdw
West Semitic, to be(come) desolate, desert; noun *badw‑, desert.

: Bedouin, from Arabic badawīyīn, Bedouins, plural of badawī, nomadic, Bedouin, from badw, desert, nomads, Bedouins.

‌bġy
To seek.

: baggage, from Arabic baġīy, prostitute, from baġā, to seek, to oppress, to act corruptly, to fornicate.

‌bhm
West Semitic, to be dumb.

: behemoth, from Hebrew bəhēmôt, plural of bəhēmâ, animal, beast.

‌bhw
Central Semitic, to be(come) empty, deserted.

Bahaullah, from Arabic bahāʾu llāh, splendor of God, bahāʾu, splendor, bound form of bahāʾ, from bahā, to be(come) empty, beautiful;
Baha'i, from Arabic bahāʾī, follower of Bahaullah, from bahāʾu llāh (see above).

‌bḥr
Common Semitic noun *baḥr‑, sea, coast.

: Bahrain, from Arabic baḥrayn, two seas, dual of baḥr, sea.

‌bkr
Common Semitic *bukur‑, *bikr‑, *bak(u)r‑, first-born.

: albacore, from Arabic al-bakūra, the albacore, akin to bikr, first-born, and bakr, young camel.

‌bn
Common Semitic noun *b(i)n‑, son, and feminine derivative *bint‑, daughter.

Common Semitic *b(i)n‑.
1. 1. bar mitzvah, from Aramaic bar, bound form of bərā, son;
  2. Barabbas, from Aramaic bar-ʾabbā, son of the father (probably a nickname, or a joking name for a bastard; ʾabbā, father; see ʾb);
  3. Barnabas, from Aramaic bar-nəbô, son of Nabu (nəbô, Nabu, Akkadian deity, from Akkadian nabû).
2. 1. B'nai B'rith, from Hebrew bənê, plural bound form of bēn, son;
  2. Benjamin, from Hebrew binyāmîn, son of the right hand, from bin‑, frozen bound form of bēn (yāmîn, right hand, south; see ymn).
Common Semitic *bint‑.
1. 1. bat mitzvah, from Hebrew bat (< *batt < *bitt < *bint), daughter;
  2. Bathsheba, from Hebrew bat-šebaʿ (see šbʿ).
2. bint, from Arabic bint, daughter.

‌bny
To build, create.

: Assurbanipal, from Akkadian aššur-bāni-apli, Ashur (is) the creator of the heir, from bāni, bound form of participle of banû, to build (apli, heir; see ʾpl).

‌brk
West Semitic, to bless. Probably a metathesized variant of krb.

Baruch, from Hebrew bārûk, blessed, passive participle of *bārak, to bless (only attested in derived stem bērēk, to bless).
broker, from Arabic al-barka, colloquial variant of al-baraka, the blessing, divine favor, gift, from bāraka, to bless. Compare krb.

‌brq
To flash (especially of lightning). emerald, from Greek smaragdos, emerald, probably ultimately from a Semitic source akin to Akkadian barraqtu and Hebrew bāreqet, a kind of gemstone (probably emerald).

‌brr
To be(come) clear, pure, white.

barrio, from Arabic barrī, open (of land), rural, from barr, open area, akin to barra, to be kind, true, in derived stem barrara, to clear, acquit.
birr², from Amharic bərr, coin, silver (< "white metal").

‌bry
Common Semitic noun *biry‑, interval, in-between area.

B'nai B'rith, from Hebrew bərît, covenant, akin to Akkadian birītu, in-between area, link, from biri, between;
bris, from Ashkenazic Hebrew brīs, from biblical Hebrew bərît (see above).

‌bśm
Central Semitic noun *baśam‑, balsam.

balsam, from Greek balsamon.
desman, from Medieval Latin bisamum. Both 1 and 2 from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew bōśem, bāśām, Aramaic besmā, busmā, Arabic bašām, all meaning "balsam.".

‌bwb
Akkadian noun bābu, gate, doorway.

Bab, Babism, from Arabic bāb, gate, from Aramaic bābā, from Akkadian bābu.
Babylon¹, from Akkadian bāb-ili, Babylon, literally "gate of the god" (probably a folk etymology of a pre-Akkadian place name), from bāb, bound form of bābu, gate (ili, genitive of ilu, god; see 'l).

‌byn
West Semitic, to be separate, clear, distinct; in derived stems, to discern, understand.

: maven, from Hebrew mēbîn, one with understanding, expert, active participle of hēbîn, to understand, derived stem of bîn, to discern, understand.

‌byt
Common Semitic noun *bayt‑, house.

1. beta; alphabet, from Greek bēta, second letter of the Greek alphabet;
2. beth, from Hebrew bêt, house, beth. Both a and b from Phoenician *bēt, house, second letter of the Phoenician alphabet.
1. bethel, from Hebrew bêt ʾēl, house of God, from bêt, bound form of bayit, house;
2. Bethlehem, from Hebrew bêt-leḥem, house of bread (see lḥm).
Beta Israel, from Ge'ez beta ʾisrāʾel, house of Israel, from beta, bound form of bet, house (ʾisrāʾel, Israel, from Hebrew yiśrāʾēl; seeśry).

‌dbb
Also dby.
Common Semitic noun dubb‑ (also daby‑), bear.

: Dubhe, from Arabic dubb, bear.

‌dbq
West Semitic, to cling, adhere.

: dybbuk, from Mishnaic Hebrew dibbûq, attachment, joining, from Hebrew dibbēq, to make cling, derived stem of dābaq, to cling.

‌dbr¹
Central Semitic, various forms meaning "(honey‑)bee."

: Deborah, from Hebrew dəbôrâ, bee.

‌dbr²
See dpr.

‌dgn
Common Semitic noun *dagan‑, grain.

Dagon, from Hebrew dāgôn, from Phoenician *dagōn, grain, storm-god.
Mudéjar, from Arabic mudajjan, permitted to remain, Mudéjar, passive participle of dajjana, to allow to remain, derived stem of dajana, to remain (< "to become tame, domesticated," probably denominative from an unattested *dajan, grain).
Dagan, from Akkadian dagan, Dagan.

‌dl
Common Semitic noun *dalt‑, door (*-t‑, feminine suffix).

daleth, from Hebrew dālet, from Phoenician *dalt, door, fourth letter of the Phoenician alphabet.
delta, deltoid, from Greek delta, from Phoenician *dalt (see above) or from a dialectal variant *dilt.

‌dm
See ʾdm.

‌dpr
To turn one's back on (probably denominative from an old word for "back"). West Semitic variant (assimilated) form dbr.

: Aldebaran, from Arabic ad-dabarān, the following, follower, from dabara, to follow.

‌drn
Arabic root, to become dirty.

: dourine, from Arabic darina, mangy (said of a female camel), from darin, dirty, from darina, to be(come) dirty.

‌drš
West Semitic, to seek, examine, study.

Midrash, from Hebrew midrāš, exposition, commentary, Midrash, from dāraš, to seek, study.
madrasa, from Arabic madrasa, school, from darasa, to study.

‌dwd
Also wdd.
To love.

David; Magen David, from Hebrew dāwīd, David, meaning uncertain, either "beloved" or "kinsman," akin to dôd, beloved, father's brother.
Jedidiah, from Hebrew yədîdyāh, beloved of Yahweh, from yədîd, bound form of yādîd (< *wadīd‑), beloved.

‌dwr
To turn, circle, dwell.

: arsenal, from Arabic dār, house (originally a Bedouin encampment with tents arranged in a circle), from dāra, to turn, circle.

‌dyn
To judge.

1. Daniel, from Hebrew dānīʾēl, dānīyēʾl, my judge (is) God (alternatively, God has judged), from dān, a judge, active participle of dān, to judge;
2. Midian, from Hebrew midyān, place of judgment (sense uncertain), from dān (see above).
medina, from Arabic madīna, city, from Aramaic mədin(t)ā, jurisdiction, district, province, city, from dān, to judge, adjudicate, administer.

‌ḏ
or ṯ.
Common Semitic *ḏV̄‑ (or *ṯV̄‑), determinative-relative pronoun.

1. cedilla, izzard, zed, zeta, from Greek zēta, alteration (influenced by the following letter ēta, eta) of Phoenician *zēn, seventh letter of the Phoenician alphabet, perhaps from *ḏayna, these two (oblique dual of *ḏV̄‑), the original form of the letter being two lines;
2. zayin, from Hebrew zayin, from alteration of Phoenician *zēn (see above).
Dhu'l-Hijjah, Dhu'l-Qa'dah, from Arabic ḏū l-ḥijja, the one of the pilgrimage, and ḏū l-qaʿda, the one of the sitting, from ḏū, demonstrative pronoun, possessor of.

‌ḏbb
Common Semitic noun *ḏibb‑, *ḏubāb‑, *ḏubūb‑, fly.

: Beelzebub, from Hebrew baʿal zəbûb, lord (of the) fly, from zəbûb, fly (pejorative alteration of baʿal zəbûl, lord prince, name of a Philistine god; see bʿl and zbl).

‌ḏhb
Central Semitic noun *ḏahab‑, gold.

: dahabeah, from Arabic ḏahabīya, the Golden One (name of the gilded barge of the Muslim rulers of Egypt), from ḏahab, gold.

‌ḏkr
To mention, remind, remember.

Zechariah, from Hebrew zəkaryāh, Yahweh has remembered, from zəkar, reduced form of zākar, he remembered;
Yizkor, from Hebrew yizkōr, may he remember, from zākar (see above).

‌ḏkw
To be(come) clean, pure.

: zakat, from Arabic zakāt, zakāh, purity, justness, alms, charity, from Aramaic zākutā, innocence, justification, merit, meritorious deed, from zəkā, to be innocent, be worth, give alms, from Canaanite zəkā or Akkadian zakû, to be(come) pure, innocent.

‌ḏmm
Central Semitic, to blame, plot.

: dhimmi, from Arabic ḏimmī, from ḏimma, protected status of a dhimmi, from ḏamma, to blame.

‌ḏnb
Common Semitic noun *ḏanab‑, tail.

: Deneb; Denebola, from Arabic ḏanab, tail.

‌ḏrʿ
West Semitic noun *dirāʿ, arm.

: draa, from Arabic dirāʿ, arm.

‌ḏrw
To winnow, scatter, disperse.

: durra, from Arabic ḏura, durra (sorghum), perhaps akin to ḏarā, to winnow, scatter.

‌ḏwḏ¹
To stand, stand up, move.

mazel tov, schlimazel, from Late Hebrew mazzāl, good luck, from mazzāl, constellation, zodiac, fortune, luck, back-formed singular from plural mazzālôt, signs of the zodiac, from Aramaic, from Akkadian manzaltu, earlier mazzaztum, stand, position, location of a star, from izuzzu, to stand.
mezuzah, from Hebrew məzûzâ, doorpost, mezuzah, from *zâz, to move (not attested until Mishnaic Hebrew, but this is probably accidental).

‌ḏwḏ²
To divide.

: zuz, from Mishnaic Hebrew zûz, zuz, from Aramaic zuzā, from Akkadian zūzu, a unit of weight (< "half, division") from zâzu, to divide.

‌ḏyn
See zyn.

‌gbʾ
West Semitic, to gather, collect.

: gabbai, from Medieval Hebrew gabbay, synagogue treasurer, gabbai, from Mishnaic Hebrew, tax collector, local official, from gābā, to collect, from Aramaic gəbā, gəbi.

‌gbb
Also kpp.
To be(come) bent, curved; to cut.

kippah, from Mishnaic Hebrew kippâ, arch, vault, yarmulke, from kāpap, to bend, bow.
jumper², from Arabic jubba, a long garment with wide, open sleeves, from jabba, to cut.

‌gbl
Central Semitic root, appearing in various nouns denoting "border," "frontier," "mountain."

: javelina, from Arabic (ḫinzīr) jabalī, mountain (swine), from jabal, mountain.

‌gbr
See gpr.

‌gbʾ
West Semitic, to gather, collect.

: gabbai

‌gdr
Central Semitic, to wall, build walls; noun *gadir‑, wall.

: Cadiz, from Latin Gades, from Phoenician *gadir, wall.

‌ghd
Arabic root, to strive.

jihad, from Arabic jihād, battle, holy war, from jahada, to strive (sense probably influenced by derived stem jāhada, to fight).
mujahid, from Arabic mujāhidīn, plural of mujāhid, fighter, one who fights in a jihad, active participle of jāhada, to fight, derived stem from jahada, to strive.

‌ghl
West Semitic, to become foolish, ignorant. Medjool date, from Arabic majhūl, unknown, passive participle of jahila, to be ignorant of, not to know.

‌glb
West Semitic, to catch, fetch.

djellaba, from Arabic jallāba, jallābīya, djellaba, from jallāb, trader, importer;
jilbab, from Arabic jilbāb, jilbab. Both a and b from jalaba, to attract, bring, fetch, import.

‌gll
To roll.

Galilee, from Latin Galilea, either from Aramaic gəlilā, circuit, district (from gəlal, to roll) or from Hebrew gəlîlâ, circuit, district (from gālal, to roll).
Megillah, from Hebrew məgillâ, scroll, roll, from gālal, to roll.
Golgotha, from Aramaic gulgultā, skull, from galgel, to roll, derived stem of gəlal, to roll.

‌glm
Central Semitic, to cut, break off, separate.

: golem, from Hebrew gōlem, formless mass, unfinished thing, from gālam, to wrap up.

‌gmd
Central Semitic, to become hard, congeal, freeze, contract.

: Jumada, from Arabic jumādā, a month name, from jamada, to freeze.

‌gml¹
Common Semitic noun *gamal‑, camel.

: camel; camelopard, from Latin, from Greek kamēlos, from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew gāmāl, Aramaic gamlā, and Arabic jamal, camel.

‌gml²
Common Semitic noun *gaml‑, throwstick.

gamma, from Greek gamma, from Phoenician *gaml, throwstick (?), third letter of the Phoenician alphabet.
gimel, from Hebrew gîmel, gimel, alteration of Phoenician *gaml (see above).

‌gmr
To complete, finish, bring to an end.

: Gemara, from Aramaic gəmārā, completion, from gəmar, to complete.

‌gnb
Northwest Semitic, to steal.

: ganef, from Yiddish, from Hebrew gannāb, thief, from gānab, to steal.

‌gnn
West Semitic, to cover, surround.

Magen David, from Hebrew māgēn dāwīd, shield of David, from māgēn (< *maginn), shield, from gānan, to cover, defend.
jinni, from Arabic jinnī, demonic, demon, from jinn, demons (< "invisible beings"), from janna, to cover, hide, conceal.

‌gpr
To be(come) strong, prevail, work. West Semitic variant (assimilated) form gbr.

Gabriel, from Hebrew gabrîʾēl, my strong one (is) God, from gabrî, my strong one, from gabr‑, presuffixal form of geber, strong one, man, from gābar, to be strong (ʾēl, god; see ʾl).
algebra, from Arabic al-jabr, the might, force, restoration, from jabara, to force, restore, set (bones).

‌grḏ
Central Semitic noun *guraḏ‑ (exact form uncertain), rodent. jird, from colloquial Maghrebi Arabic jird, rat, jird, from Arabic juraḏ.

‌grr
West Semitic, to drag, draw, pull.

: jar¹, from Arabic jarra, earthen jar, from jarra, to draw, pull.

‌gwy
Central Semitic noun *gāy‑, tribe.

: goy, from Hebrew gôy, nation people (usually, and later exclusively, of non-Israelite, and then non-Jewish, people).

‌gwz
Central Semitic, to pass through.

: Betelgeuse, from Arabic yad al-jawzāʾ, hand of Orion, from al-jawzāʾ, Gemini, later also Orion, perhaps from jawz, center, middle, from jāza, to pass through (yad, hand; see yd).

‌gyʾ
Assumed root of Hebrew gayʾ, valley.

: Gehenna, from Hebrew gêʾ (ben) hinnōm, valley of (the son of) Hinnom, from gêʾ, bound form of gayʾ, valley (hinnōm, a man's name; see hnn).

‌gyl
West Semitic, to rejoice.

: Abigail, from Hebrew ʾăbîgayil, my father (is) joy, from *gayil, joy, akin to gîl, rejoicing, joy, from gāl, to rejoice (ʾăbî, my father; see ʾb).

‌gzr
West Semitic, to cut off, destroy.

: Algeria, Algiers, from Arabic al-jazāʾir, the islands, Algeria, plural of al-jazīra, the island (< "cut off" from land).

‌ġdn
Central Semitic noun *ġadan‑, *ġidn‑, softness, tenderness, verdure.

: Eden, from Hebrew ʿēden, delight.

‌ġmr
Central Semitic noun *ġumr‑, sheaf.

: omer; Lag b'Omer, from Hebrew ʿōmer, sheaf, period from the second day of Passover to the first day of Shavuot (from the offering of a sheaf of barley offered on the second day of Passover), unit of measure.

‌ġng
West Semitic, to be(come) delighted, delightful.

: baba ghanouj, from Arabic ġannūj, flirtatious, from ġanija, to flirt.

‌ġrb
Common Semitic noun *ġārib‑, *ġurāb‑, raven.

: grab², from Arabic ġurāb, raven, swift galley.

‌ġrp
West Semitic, to ladle, scoop.

: carafe, probably from Arabic ġarrāfa, dipper, cup, from ġarafa, to ladle, spoon, scoop.

‌ġrr
Also ġwr.
Central Semitic noun *ġār‑, *ġarr‑, *miġarr, cave.

: realgar, from Arabic rahj al-ġār, powder of the cave, from ġār, cave.

‌ġrz
Arabic root, to prick, insert, plant.

: Megrez, from Arabic maġriz, base, root, from ġaraza, to prick, insert, plant.

‌ġṭr
Central Semitic, to surround.

: gutra, from Arabic ġuṭra, gutra, keffiyeh, perhaps akin to Hebrew ʿăṭārâ, crown, from ʿāṭar, to surround.

‌ġṭs
or ġṭš.
Arabic root, to plunge, dive.

: albatross, from Arabic al-ġaṭṭās, the diver, sea-eagle, from ġaṭasa, to plunge, dive.

‌ġwl
Arabic root, to snatch, grab, destroy.

: Algol, ghoul, from Arabic (al‑)ġūl, (the) desert demon, ogre, ghoul, from ġāla, to snatch, grab, destroy.

‌ġwr
See ġrr.

‌ġzl
Central Semitic, to spin (yarn or thread).

: ghazal, from Arabic ġazal, amatory poetry, from ġazila, to court, praise with amatory poetry (perhaps < *"to spin (yarn)").

‌ġzw
Arabic root, to strive, make a raid.

ghazi, from Arabic ġāzī, raider, warrior, active participle of ġazā, to strive, make a raid;
razzia, from Arabic ġazya, dialectal variant of ġazwa, raid, military attack, from ġazā (see above).

‌hbb
West Semitic, to move, set out, blow (of wind).

: haboob, from Arabic habūb, strong wind, from habba, to move, depart, rush, blow.

‌hdg
Arabic root, to shuffle along, totter.

: howdah, from Arabic hawdaj, litter, sedan chair, from hadaja, to shuffle along, totter.

‌hdy
West Semitic, to lead, extend.

: Mahdi, from Arabic mahdī, rightly guided (one), Mahdi, passive participle of hadā, to lead.

‌hgr
Arabic root, to depart.

: hegira, from Arabic hijra, emigration, flight, from hajara, to depart.

‌hlk
To go.

: Halacha, from Hebrew hălākâ, rule, tradition, from hālak, to go.

‌hll
To shout, boast; in derived stem, to praise.

1. alleluia, hallelujah, from Hebrew halləlû-yāh, praise Yahweh, from halləlû, praise, masculine plural imperative of hillēl, to praise;
2. Hallel, from Hebrew hallēl, song of praise, from Hebrew hillēl, to praise.
halala, from Arabic halala, a Saudi Arabian coin, akin to hilāl, crescent, from halla, to appear (of the moon).

‌hmz
Arabic root, to prick, urge on, prod.

: hamza, from Arabic hamza, graphic sign for the glottal stop, from hamaza, to prick, to urge on, prod.

‌hnn
Central Semitic (?), to weep, yearn.

: Gehenna, from Hebrew gêʾ (ben) hinnōm, valley of (the son of) Hinnom, from hinnōm, a man's name (etymology uncertain; perhaps akin to Arabic hanna, to weep, yearn + nominal ending -ōm).

‌hrr
Northwest Semitic noun *harr‑, mountain.

: Armageddon, from Hebrew har məgiddô, mountain region of Megiddo, from har, mountain.

‌hrs
Central Semitic, to crush, break.

: harissa, from Arabic harīsa, a dish of pounded meat and bulgur, from harasa, to pound, crush.

‌hśm
Arabic root, to smash, shatter, destroy.

: Hashemite, from Arabic hāšimī, Hashemite, from hašama, to destroy, smash.

‌hwy
Also hyy.
To fall, happen, be, become.

1. Yahweh, from Hebrew yahweh, assumed ancient pronunciation of the name of the God of Israel, perhaps meaning "he sends down (the hosts of heaven)," causative derived stem of hāwâ, hāyâ, to fall, happen, be.
2. Jehovah, modern mispronunciation (since the 16th century ad) of Yahweh, in which the Hebrew consonants Y(J)-H-W(V)-H were pronounced with the vowels of the Hebrew word ʾădōnāy (see ʾd), which were added to the Hebrew consonantal text of the Bible to indicate that the latter word was to be read instead of the divine name.
Various short forms of Hebrew yahweh (see I above), found mostly in personal names.
1. Jah, from Hebrew yāh, short for yahweh, Yahweh, also appearing in the following personal names:
  1. Jedidiah, from Hebrew yədîdyāh, beloved of Yahweh (see dwd);
  2. Matthew, from Hebrew mattayyāh (< *mattan-yāh), gift of Yahweh;
  3. Nehemiah, from Hebrew nəḥemyāh, Yahweh comforted;
  4. Obadiah, from Hebrew ʿōbadyāh, servant of Yahweh;
  5. Tobit, from Hebrew ṭôbīyāh, my good (is) Yahweh;
  6. Uriah, from Hebrew ʾûrîyāh, my light (is) Yahweh (ʾûrî, my light; see ʾwr);
  7. Zechariah, from Hebrew zəkaryāh, Yahweh has remembered;
  8. Zephaniah, from Hebrew ṣəpanyāh, Yahweh has hidden, Yahweh has treasured.
2. 1. Hezekiah, from Hebrew ḥizqîyāh(û), my strength (is) Yahweh (see ḥzq);
  2. Isaiah, from Hebrew yəšaʿyāhû, salvation of Yahweh;
  3. Jeremiah, jeremiad, from Hebrew yirməyāhû, Yahweh has established;
  4. Elijah, from Hebrew ʾēlîyāhû, my God (is) Yahweh (see ʾl). a-d all from Hebrew yāhû, short form of yahweh, Yahweh.
3. 1. Joab, from Hebrew yôʾāb, Yahweh (is) father (see ʾb);
  2. Joel, from Hebrew yôʾēl, Yahweh (is) God;
  3. John, from Hebrew yôḥānān, Yahweh has been gracious;
  4. Jonathan, from Hebrew yônātān, Yahweh has given (see ntn). a-d all from Hebrew yô, short form of yahweh, Yahweh.
4. 1. Jehoshaphat, from Hebrew yəhôšāpāṭ, Yahweh has judged (šāpāṭ, he has judged; see ṯpṭ);
  2. 1. Joshua, from yəhôšûaʿ, perhaps "Yahweh (is) lord" (*šûaʿ, lord; see ṯwʿ) or "Yahweh is salvation" (*šûaʿ, salvation; see wṯʿ);
    2. Jesus, from Hebrew yēšûaʿ, shortening of yəhôšûaʿ, Joshua (see above). Both a and b from yəhô, short form of yahweh, Yahweh.

‌ḥdd
To be(come) sharp.

: hudud, from Arabic ḥudūd, plural of ḥadd, edge, limit, divine ordinance, punishment, from ḥadd, to sharpen, delimit.

‌ḥdṯ
To be(come) new.

Carthage, from Phoenician (Punic) *qart-ḥadašt, new town, from *ḥadašt, feminine singular of *ḥadaš, new (*qart, town; see qr).
hadith, from Arabic ḥadīṯ, news, report, tradition, from ḥaddaṯa, to report, derived stem of ḥadaṯa, to be new.
Addis Ababa, from Amharic addis abäba, new flower, from addis, new, akin to addäsä (< *ḥaddaṯa), to renew (abäba, flower; see ʾbb).

‌ḥḏr
Central Semitic, to go around, encompass.

: mahzor, from Mishnaic Hebrew maḥăzôr, cycle, mahzor, from ḥāzar, to go around, return, repeat.

‌ḥgb
Central Semitic, to cover, conceal.

: hijab, from Arabic ḥijāb, curtain, veil, from ḥajaba, to veil, cover.

‌ḥgg
Central Semitic, to make a pilgrimage.

Haggai, from Hebrew ḥaggay, perhaps "born on a feast day," from ḥag, pilgrimage-feast, from ḥāgag, to make a pilgrimage, keep a pilgrimage-feast.
1. Dhu'l-Hijjah, from Arabic ḏūl-ḥijja, the one of the pilgrimage;
2. haj, from Arabic ḥajj, pilgrimage. Both a and b from Arabic ḥajja, to make a pilgrimage;
3. haji, from Arabic ḥājj, pilgrim, active participle of ḥajja (see above).

‌ḥkm
Central Semitic, to be(come) wise, understand, judge.

hakim¹, from Arabic ḥakīm, wise (man), sage, doctor, from ḥakama, to judge, decide, govern;
hakim², from Arabic ḥākim, ruling, ruler, governor, active participle of ḥakama (see above).

‌ḥll
To be(come) clean, pure, holy.

Elul, from Hebrew ʾělûl, a month name, from Akkadian elūlu, elūnu, name of a festival and of a month corresponding to parts of August and September, perhaps from elēlu (< *ḥalālum), to be(come) clean, pure, holy.
halal, from Arabic ḥalāl, legally permissible, from ḥalla, to undo, free, be permissible.

‌ḥmd
Central Semitic, to desire, delight in, praise.

: Muhammad, from Arabic muḥammad, praised, commendable, passive participle of ḥammada, to praise highly, derived stem of ḥamida, to praise, extol.

‌ḥmr
Common Semitic noun *ḥimār‑, donkey.

: homer², from Hebrew ḥōmer, heap, a unit of capacity (perhaps originally the burden carried by a donkey; akin to ḥămôr, donkey).

‌ḥnk
West Semitic, to (make) understand, train.

: Hanukkah, from Hebrew ḥănukkâ, dedication, from ḥānak, to train, dedicate.

‌ḥnn
To be(come) gracious.

Ann, Hannah, from Hebrew ḥannâ, grace, from ḥānan, to be(come) gracious.
John, ultimately from Hebrew yôḥānān, Yahweh has been gracious, from ḥānān, lengthened form of ḥānan, he has been gracious (yô, Yahweh; see hwy).
Hannibal, from Phoenician (Punic) *ḥannī-baʿl, my grace (is) Baal, from *ḥannī, my grace, from *ḥann, grace (*baʿl, lord, Baal; see bʿl).

‌ḥpp
Central Semitic, to surround, enclose, cover.

: chuppah, from Hebrew ḥuppâ, covering, canopy, bridal chamber, from ḥāpap, to surround, cover.

‌ḥpṯ
Central Semitic, to be mindful of, preserve.

: hafiz, from Arabic ḥāfiẓ, guardian, one who has memorized the Koran, active participle of ḥafiẓa, to preserve, be mindful of, learn, memorize.

‌ḥqq
West Semitic, to cut into, level, make correct, decree.

: hookah, from Arabic ḥuqqa, small box, pot, or jar, from ḥaqqa, to be true, suitable, fitting.

‌ḥsd
Central Semitic, to be kind, ashamed.

: Hasid, from Hebrew ḥāsîd, pious, from ḥāsad, to be kind.

‌ḥśś
Arabic root, to mow.

hashish, from Arabic ḥašīš, herbs, hemp, cannabis, hashish, from ḥašša, to mow;
assassin, from Arabic ḥaššāšīn, plural of ḥaššāš, hashish user, from ḥašīš (see above).

‌ḥṣl
Arabic root, to occur, obtain, attain, receive.

: tahsildar, from Arabic taḥṣīl, collection, revenue, infinitive of ḥaṣṣala, to acquire, collect, derived stem of ḥaṣala, to occur, obtain, attain, receive.

‌ḥṣp
Central Semitic, to be insolent.

: chutzpah, from Mishnaic Hebrew ḥuṣpâ, insolence, from ḥāṣap, to be insolent.

‌ḥwk
Arabic root, to weave.

: haik, from Moroccan Arabic ḥāʾik, an outer garment, from classical Arabic, weaver, active participle of ḥāka, to weave.

‌ḥwl
West Semitic, to go around, turn, change.

: hawala, from Arabic ḥawāla, bill of exchange, from ḥāla, to turn, change.

‌ḥwr
Central Semitic, to be(come) white.

: houri, from Arabic ḥūrīya, nymph, houri, from ḥūr, plural (also used as singular) of ʾaḥwar, feminine ḥawrāʾ, characterized by the quality ḥawar, intense whiteness of the sclera of the eye in contrast to deep blackness of the iris (compare ḥawira, to have this quality).

‌ḥyw
To live. Common Semitic adjective *ḥayy‑, alive, living.

Eve, from Late Latin Ēva, from Hebrew ḥawwâ, living, life, from ḥāyâ, to live.
Ea, from Akkadian Ea, from Old Akkadian *ḥayy‑, living.

‌ḥzq
To be(come) strong.

Ezekiel, from Hebrew yəḥezqēʾl, God strengthened, from yəḥezq, reduced form of yəḥazzēq, he strengthened, from ḥizzēq, to strengthen, derived stem of ḥāzaq, to be(come) strong;
Hezekiah, from Hebrew ḥizqîyāh(û), my strength (is) Yahweh, from ḥizqî, my strength, from ḥēzeq, strength, from ḥāzaq (see above; yāh(û), Yahweh; see hwy).

‌ḥzy
Central (Common?) Semitic, to see.

: chazan, from Mishnaic Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic ḥazzān, superintendent, cantor, from Akkadian ḫazannu, administrator, mayor, perhaps from earlier *ḥāziyānum, overseer, active participle of Proto-Akkadian verb *ḥazāyum, to see.

‌ḫll
West Semitic, to pierce. challah, from Hebrew ḥallâ, a kind of bread or cake, probably "something perforated," from ḥālal, to pierce.

‌ḫlp
To pass, follow.

: caliph, from Arabic ḫalīfa, successor (to Muhammad), caliph, from ḫalafa, to follow, succeed.

‌ḫmr
Arabic root, to cover, conceal.

: khimar, from Arabic ḫimār, covering, from ḫamara, to cover, conceal.

‌ḫmš
Common Semitic *ḫam(i)š‑, five.

: khamsin, from colloquial Arabic ḫamsīn, fifty, khamsin, from oblique case of Arabic ḫamsūn, fifty, from ḫams, five.

‌ḫrb
Common Semitic noun *ḫar(r)ūb‑, carob.

: carob; algaroba, from Arabic (al‑)ḫarrūba, (the) carob pod, from ḫarrūb, carob.

‌ḫrp
To be early, do (something) early, with associated nouns denoting "early season."

: kharif, from Arabic ḫarīf, autumn (< "early season").

‌ḫsn
Aramaic root, to be strong.

: magazine, from Arabic maḫāzin, plural of maḫzan, storeroom, depository, depot, magazine, from ḫazana, to store, from Aramaic ḥassen, to possess, hoard, derived stem of ḥəsan, to be strong.

‌ḫśy
Central Semitic, to be fearful, reverent, righteous

: Essene, from Aramaic ḥasên, plural of ḥasē, righteous, holy.

‌ḫyr
To choose.

mohair, moire, moiré, from Arabic muḫayyar, choice, select, a fabric, passive participle of ḫayyara, to prefer, derived stem of ḫāra, to choose.
mukhtar, from Arabic muḫtār, chosen, elected, a mukhtar, passive participle of iḫtāra, to choose, elect, select, derived stem of ḫāra, to choose.

‌ḫzn
See x̣zy.

‌kʿb
West Semitic root, to increase, swell.

: Kaaba, from Arabic kaʿba, cube, cubic structure, from kaʿaba to swell, be full (said of breasts).

‌kbb¹
East Semitic, to burn, char.

: shish kebab, from Arabic kabāb, cooked meat in small pieces, probably from Aramaic kabbābā, burning, charring, from kabbeb, to char, roast, probably from Akkadian kabābu, to burn, char.

‌kbb²
West Semitic root, to encircle, overturn.

: kibbeh, from Arabic kubba, ball, meatball (by association with kabāb, kebab; see kbb¹).

‌khw
See qhw.

‌kll
Also kly.
To complete. West Semitic *kull‑, whole, all.

Kol Nidre, from Aramaic kol, all.
klezmer, from Mishnaic Hebrew kəlê, plural bound form of kəlî, utensil, article, instrument, from kālâ, to complete.

‌kmn
Common Semitic noun *kammūn‑, cumin, perhaps from Sumerian gamun, cumin, unless this itself is of Semitic origin.

: cumin, cymene, from Greek kuminon, probably from a Semitic source akin to Akkadian kam(m)ūnu, Hebrew kammôn, Aramaic kammonā, kammunā, Arabic kammūn, all meaning "cumin."

‌kms
Also kns, knš.
To gather, collect, assemble.

: Knesset, from Modern Hebrew kneset, from Mishnaic Hebrew kəneset, assembly, from Aramaic kəništā, assembly, from kənaš, to assemble.

‌knp
Common Semitic noun *kanap‑, wing, side.

: kunefe, from Arabic kunāfa, from kanafa, to flank, surround, provide with an enclosure.

‌kpp¹
Common Semitic noun *kapp‑, palm of the hand.

kaph, from Hebrew kap, kaph;
kappa, from Greek kappa, kappa. Both a and b from Phoenician *kapp, palm of the hand, eleventh letter of the Phoenician alphabet.

‌kpp²
See gbb.

‌kpr¹
To wipe clean, polish, purify, cover.

: Yom Kippur, from Hebrew kippûr, atonement, from kippēr, to cover, atone.

‌kpr²
Common Semitic noun *kapar‑, village.

Capernaum, from Hebrew kəpar naḥûm, village of Nahum, from kəpar, bound form of kāpār, village (naḥûm, Nahum; see nḥm).
giaour, kafir, Kaffir, takfir, takfiri, from Arabic kāfir, unbeliever, infidel (< "villager"), from kafr, village, from Aramaic kaprā, village.

‌kpr³
Northwest Semitic noun kupr‑, henna.

: cyprinid; cyprinodont, from Greek kuprīnos, carp, perhaps from kupros, henna (from the fish's color), probably from a Semitic source akin to Ugaritic kpr and Hebrew kōper, henna (perhaps ultimately from kpr¹ in the meaning "to wipe, cover" > "to cover with dye").

‌krb
To praise. Common Semitic root, with West Semitic metathesized variant brk.

: cherub, from Hebrew kərûb, cherub; akin to Akkadian karābu, to praise, bless. Compare also brk.

‌kšš
Also kwš.
West Semitic, to pound, strike.

: couscous, cush, cush-cush, from Arabic kuskus, from kaskasa, to crumble, pulverize.

‌ktb
West Semitic root, to prick, cut; later, to write.

ketubah, from Mishnaic Hebrew kətubbâ, writing, writ, (marriage) contract;
Tanakh, from Hebrew kətûbôt, the Writings, from plural of kətûbâ, feminine of kətûb, written (passive participle). Botha and b from Hebrew kātab, to write.

‌kṯr
To succeed, achieve, be(come) suitable, proper.

kosher, from Ashkenazic Hebrew kóšer, proper;
kashrut, from Mishnaic Hebrew kašrût, (ritual) fitness. Both a and b from Hebrew kāšēr, proper, from kāšēr, to succeed, be(come) proper, suitable.

‌kwl
To contain, hold, measure. Variant (Arabic) root form kyl.

: maquiladora, from Arabic makīla, measured, a measure of capacity, feminine passive participle of kāla, to measure.

‌kwn
To be, be(come) firm, true.

: Sargon, from Hebrew sargôn, from Akkardian šarru-kīn, the king is true, legitimate, from kīn, predicate form of kīnu, verbal adjective of kânu, to be(come) firm, true (šarru, king; see śrr).

‌kwš
See kšš.

‌kx̣l
Common Semitic noun *kux̣l‑, also *gux̣l‑, (powder of) antimony.

: kohl; alcohol, from Arabic (al‑)kuḥl, (the) powder of antimony, antimony.

‌kyl
See kwl.

‌lʾ
Common Semitic noun *liʾ‑, bull, feminine *liʾat‑, cow.

: Leah, from Hebrew lēʾâ, Leah, originally a noun meaning "cow."

‌lʾk
West Semitic, to send.

Malachi, from Hebrew malʾākî, my messenger, from malʾāk, messenger, from *lāʾak, to send.
Malaga, from Latin Malaca, Malacha, from Phoenician *malʾakat‑, work(place) of (a god whose name has not been preserved), from *lʾk, to send, serve, work.

‌lbʾ
Common Semitic noun *labʾ‑, *labīʾ‑, lion.

: Leo, leonine, lev, lion; chameleon, codling, 1, dandelion, Leo Minor, leopard, from Greek leōn, from a Semitic source akin to Akkadian lābu, labʾu, labbu, Ugaritic lbʾ, Hebrew lābîʾ, lion, and Arabic feminine lab(u)ʾa, labwa, lioness; compare also Egyptian rw, Coptic laboi, lion(ess).

‌lblb
Also lmlm.
West Semitic root, to sprout, bud, be(come) soft. lulav, from Mishnaic Hebrew lûlā, sprout, palm branch, from liblēb, to bloom.

‌lbn
Central Semitic, to be(come) white; West Semitic noun *lubān(at)‑, frankincense.

Lebanon, from Hebrew ləbānôn, Lebanon, from lābān, white, from lābēn, to be(come) white.
benjamin, benzoin, from Arabic lubān, frankincense.

‌ldn
Common Semitic noun *ladan‑, labdanum.

: labdanum, from a Semitic source akin to Akkadian ladinnu, ladunu and Old South Arabian ldn, labdanum.

‌lḥm
To eat.

: Bethlehem, from Hebrew bêt-leḥem, house of bread, from leḥem, bread, from lāḥam, to eat (bêt, house; see byt).

‌lmd
To learn, be(come) accustomed; in derived stem, to teach, instruct.

Talmud, from Mishnaic Hebrew talmûd, learning, from Hebrew lāmad, to learn.
Northwest Semitic noun *lamd‑, ox-goad (?).
1. lambda, from Greek lambda, lambda;
2. lamedh, from Hebrew lāmed, lamedh. Both a and b from Phoenician *lamd, ox-goad (?), eleventh letter of the Phoenician alphabet, akin to Hebrew malmād, ox-goad.

‌lwq
Arabic root, to soften.

: loco¹, perhaps from Arabic lawqāʾ, feminine singular of ʾalwaq, bent, foolish, from lāqa, to soften.

‌lwy
To wind, twist, circle, encircle.

: leviathan, from Hebrew liwyātān, serpent, dragon, akin to Ugaritic ltn, sea monster.

‌lwz
Early Aramaic noun *lawz‑, almond (tree).

: lozenge, perhaps ultimately from Early Aramaic noun *lawz‑, almond (tree).

‌mḫḫ
Common Semitic noun *muḫḫ‑, marrow, brain, skull.

: nucha, from Arabic nuḫāʿ, marrow, spinal marrow, spinal cord, probably akin to muḫḫ, marrow, brain, from Common Semitic *muḫḫ‑, marrow, brain, skull (though the phonological details are obscure).

‌mlḥ
Common Semitic noun *milḥ‑, salt.

malachite, from Greek malakhē, molokhē, mallow, probably from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew mallûaḥ, a salt-marsh plant, akin to melaḥ, salt.
mallow, mauve, from Latin malva, probably from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew mallûaḥ (see above).

‌mlk
West Semitic, to rule, dominate, possess, own; Common Semitic noun *malk‑, ruler, king.

Melkite, from Aramaic malkāye, plural of malkāy, royal, royalist, from malkā, king.
Melchizedek, from Hebrew malkî-ṣedeq, my king (is) righteousness, from malk, presuffixal form of melek, king + -î, my.
Moloch, from Hebrew mōlek, from Canaanite *mulk, perhaps variant of Canaanite *malk, *milk, king.
Mameluke, from Arabic mamlūk, owned, slave, Mameluke, passive participle of malaka, to own, possess.

‌mnn
West Semitic, to be kind, show favor, patronize, disdain.

: manna, from Aramaic mannā, from Hebrew mān, manna, akin to Arabic mann, favor, gift, honeydew, manna, from manna, to be kind, show favor.

‌mnw
To count.

mina, from Akkadian manû, a unit of weight, from manû, to count.
minyan, from Mishnaic Hebrew minyān, count, number, minyan, from Aramaic minyānā, count, number, from mənā, to count.

‌mrʾ
Common Semitic nouns *marʾ‑, *māriʾ‑, man, master, lord, feminine *marʾat‑, *māriʾat‑, woman, mistress, lady.

: Martha, from Aramaic mārətā, lady, feminine of mārā, lord.

‌mrr
To be(come) bitter. Common Semitic noun *murr‑, bitterness, myrrh.

: myrrh¹, myrrh², from Greek murrha, from a Semitic source akin to Akkadian murru, Arabic murr, Hebrew mōr, myrrh.

‌msr
West Semitic, to remove, deliver, hand over.

: Masora, from Hebrew māsôrâ, Masora, from māsar, to hand over, transmit.

‌mšḥ
To anoint.

Messiah, from Aramaic məšiḥā, anointed (one) (from məšaḥ, to anoint) or Hebrew māšîaḥ, anointed (one) (from māšaḥ, to anoint).
massage, masseur, from Arabic masaḥa, to anoint, stroke, rub (or massa, to touch; see mšš).

‌mšš
To feel, grope for, touch.

: massage, masseur, from Arabic massa, to touch (or masaḥa, to anoint, stroke, rub; see mšḥ).

‌mṣ́ṣ́
West Semitic, to ferment, be(come) sour.

: matzo, from Hebrew maṣṣâ, unleavened bread.

‌mt
Common Semitic noun *mut‑, man.

: Methuselah, from Hebrew mətûšelaḥ, man of Shelah (name of a deity), from mətû‑, archaic bound form of *mōt, man.

‌mwl
Hebrew root, to circumcise.

: mohel, from Mishnaic Hebrew môhēl, active participle māhal, to circumcise, from Aramaic māhal, by-form of Biblical Hebrew māl.

‌mwt
To die.

: checkmate, mate², from Arabic māt, he has died, from earlier māta, to die.

‌my¹
Northwest Semitic *mīy‑, who?.

Michael, from Hebrew mîkāʾēl, who is like God? (kā, like + ʾēl, God; see ʾl);
Micah, from Hebrew mîkâ, short for mîkāʾēl (see above) or mîkāyāh, who is like Yahweh (see hwy). Both a and b from Hebrew mî, who?.

‌my²
(exact root shape uncertain). Common Semitic noun *mā̆ʾ‑, *mā̆y‑, water.

mem, from Hebrew mēm, mem;
mu, from Greek mū, patterned to rhyme with nū, nu (see nwn). Both a and b from Phoenician *mēm, water, thirteenth letter of the Phoenician alphabet, akin to Hebrew mayim, water.

‌myd
Central Semitic, to sway, move, shake.

: maidan, from Arabic maydān, city square, open space, racetrack, combat area, from māda, to be moved, sway.

‌-n
Common Semitic pronoun suffix *-na/-ni/-nu, we, us, our.

bwana, from Arabic ʾabūnā, our father;
maulana, from Arabic mawlānā, our master. Both a and b from Arabic -nā, our.

‌nʿm
Central Semitic, to be(come) pleasant, agreeable.

Naomi, from Hebrew noʿŏmî, my delight, from nōʿam, delight, delightfulness, from nāʿēm, to be(come) pleasant, delightful.
anemone, perhaps a folk-etymological alteration (influenced by Greek anemos, wind) of an epithet of Adonis (the anemone having sprung from Adonis's blood in Greek myth), from Phoenician *hannaʿmon, "the pleasant one," akin to Hebrew na'ămān, a man's name (literally "pleasantness"), and na'ămānîm, a word describing a garden in Isaiah 17:10, perhaps a distortion of an epithet of Adonis.

‌nʿr
West Semitic, to shake, roar.

: noria, from Arabic nāʿūra, from Aramaic nāʿurā, water-wheel, from nəʿar, to shake, roar.

‌nbʾ
To name, proclaim, summon.

: Tanakh, from Hebrew nābîʾ, prophet (originally, "one named, summoned by a god").

‌nbr
Ethiopic root, to sit, dwell.

: minbar; almemar, from Arabic minbar, pulpit, probably from Ge'ez manbar seat, chair, pulpit, or mənbār, seat, throne, from nabara, to sit, dwell.

‌nḏr
West Semitic, to vow, consecrate.

: Kol Nidre, from Aramaic kol nidrê, all the vows of, from nidrê, plural bound form of nidrā, vow, from nədar, to vow.

‌ngd
West Semitic, to become prominent, conspicuous, to drag, lead, travel.

Haggadah, from Hebrew haggādâ, narration, telling, from higgîd, to narrate, tell (< *hangida).
Aggadah, from Aramaic ʾaggādā, formed on the model of Hebrew haggādâ, narration, telling (see 1 above).

‌ngś
West Semitic, to press, oppress, drive.

: Negus, from Amharic nəgus, from Classical Ethiopic nəguś, king, ruler, verbal adjective of nagśa, to rule, become king.

‌nhr
Common Semitic noun *nah(a)r‑, river.

: Achernar, from Arabic nahr, river.

‌nḥm
Central Semitic, to console, comfort.

Nahum, from Hebrew naḥûm, comfort;
Capernaum, from Hebrew kəpar naḥûm, village of Nahum (see kpr²).

Nehemiah, from Hebrew nəḥemyāh, Yahweh comforted, from nəḥem, reduced form of niḥam, he comforted. Both 1 and 2 from Hebrew niḥam, to console, comfort.

‌npṣ́
To shake, shatter.

: intifada, from Arabic intifāḍa, shudder, awakening, uprising, from intafaḍa, to be shaken, shudder, wake up, derived stem of nafaḍa, to shake.

‌npṭ
Common Semitic noun *napṭ‑, naphtha.

: naphtha, from Greek naphtha, from a Semitic source akin to Arabic and Ethiopic nafṭ, Aramaic nepṭā, Akkadian napṭu, naphtha.

‌npy
To sift.

: apron, map, mop, napery, napkin, nappe, from Latin mappa, originally napkin, cloth, said by the Roman author Quintilian to be of Punic origin, perhaps from Phoenician (Punic) *mappē, from Common Semitic *manpay‑ or *manpiy‑, sieve, fine cloth (?).

‌nqb
To pierce.

Maccabee, from Hebrew maqqebet (< *manqabt‑), hammer, from nāqab, to pierce.
niqab, from Arabic niqāb, veil, from naqaba, to pierce, bore a hole, perforate.

‌nqr
To bore, pierce.

: nacre, from Arabic naqqāra, small drum, from naqara, to bore, pierce.

‌ntn
To give.

1. Matthew, from Hebrew mattayyāh, from *mattan-yāh, gift of Yahweh, from mattan, bound form of mattān (< *mantan), gift (yāh, Yahweh; see hwy);
2. 1. Nathan, from nātān, he (God) gave;
  2. Jonathan, from Hebrew yônātān, Yahweh has given, from nātān, he gave (yô, Yahweh; see hwy). Both a and b from Hebrew nātan, to give;
3. Nathanael, from Hebrew nətanʾēl, God has given, from nətan, reduced form of nātan (see above; ʾēl, God; see ʾl).
Esarhaddon, from Akkadian Aššur-aḫa-iddin, Ashur has given a brother, from iddin (< *yandin), preterite of nadānu, to give (aḫa, brother; see ʾḫ).

‌nṭy
Central Semitic, to stretch out, extend, incline.

: mat¹, from Late Latin matta, possibly from Phoenician (Punic) *maṭṭē (< *manṭay‑ or *manṭiy‑), akin to Hebrew miṭṭâ, bed, couch, from nāṭâ, to stretch out, extend, incline.

‌nṯm
Arabic root, to arrange.

: Nizam, from Arabic niẓām, order, arrangement, from naẓama, to arrange.

‌nṯr
To see, watch, observe, guard.

1. Nebuchadnezzar, from Hebrew nəbûkadneʾṣṣar (also nəbûkadreʾṣṣar, whence English by-form Nebuchadrezzar), alteration of Akkadian nabû-kudurrī-uṣur, Nabu protect the borders (nabû, Nabu (a god); kudurrī, oblique plural of kudurru, border);
2. Belshazzar, from Hebrew bēlšaṣṣar, from Akkadian bēl-šar-uṣur, Bel protect the king (bēl, lord, Bel (Akkadian deity), and šar, king; see bʿl and śrr). Both a and b from uṣur, protect, singular imperative of naṣāru, to guard, protect.
nadir, from Arabic naẓīr (as-samt), opposite (of the zenith), from naẓīr, facing, equal, opposite, from naẓara, to see, watch.

‌nwb
Arabic root, to represent, act as deputy.

: nabob, from Arabic nuwwāb, plural of nāʾib, deputy, active participle of nāba, to represent, act as deputy.

‌nwḫ
To rest, come to rest.

: almanac, from Arabic munāḫ, halting place, caravan stop, position of the stars, from ʾanāḫa, to make (a camel) lie down, from nāḫa, to lie down, rest (of camels).

‌nwn
Common Semitic noun *nūn‑, fish.

nu, from Greek nū, nu;
nun², from Mishnaic Hebrew nûn, nun. Both a and b from Phoenician *nūn, fish, fourteenth letter of the Phoenician alphabet.

‌nwr
To shine, be(come) bright.

menorah, from Hebrew mənôrâ, lamp, lampstand, akin to nēr, lamp.
kinara, minaret, from Arabic manāra, lamp, lighthouse, minaret, akin to nūr, light.
Nanna, from Sumerian Nanna, Nannar, from Akkadian nannāru, luminary, from nawāru, to shine.

‌p
Common Semitic noun *pV̄‑, mouth.

1. pe, from Hebrew pē, pe;
2. pi¹, from Greek pei, pī, pi. Both a and b from Phoenician *pē, mouth, seventeenth letter of the Phoenician alphabet.
Fomalhaut, from Arabic fam, mouth.

‌pdy
To redeem, ransom.

: fedayee, from Arabic fidāʾī, one who sacrifices himself, freedom fighter, from fidāʾ, ransom, sacrifice, from fadā, to ransom, sacrifice.

‌pll
To watch over, judge, intercede.

: tefillin, from Mishnaic Hebrew təpillîn, plural of təpillâ, prayer, from Hebrew hitpallēl, to pray, akin to pillēl, to mediate, judge, both derived stems of *pālal, to beseech.

‌plš
To break through, pass through.

: Falasha, from Amharic fälaša, from fälaš, migrant, active participle of fälläsä, to migrate.

‌plx̣
To cleave, till, work.

: fellah, from Arabic fallāḥ, peasant, farmer, from falaḥa, to cleave, cultivate, till.

‌pqʿ
Also bqʿ.
West Semitic, to split, cleave, open.

: burqa, from Arabic burqaʿ, variant of burquʿ, perhaps from *buqquʿ, from root variant bqʿ, akin to Arabic faqaʿa, to burst (the name of the garment, burquʿ, perhaps originally making reference to a split or slit in front of the eyes through which the wearer can see).

‌pqr
Common Semitic, to long for.

: fakir, from Arabic faqīr, poor, from faqura, to be(come) poor.

‌prd
West Semitic, to separate.

: fardel, from Arabic farda, single piece, pack, bundle, from farada, to be(come) separate, segregated, single.

‌prh
Ethiopic root, to fear, revere.

: Rastafarianism, from Amharic täfäri, feared, respected, participle of täfärra, to be feared, respected, derived stem of färra, to fear, respect, akin to Classical Ethiopic farha, to fear, revere.

‌prš
Northwest Semitic, to make distinct, to separate.

: Pharisee, from Aramaic pərišayyā, plural of pəriš, separate, separated, from pəraš, to separate.

‌prṭ
Northwest Semitic, to break, rend.

: prutah, from Mishnaic Hebrew pərûṭâ, a small coin, feminine passive participle of pāraṭ, to break.

‌psḥ
Hebrew root, to pass over.

Pesach, from Hebrew pesaḥ Passover;
Pasch, from Aramaic pasḥā, from Hebrew pesaḥ (see above). Both a and b from Hebrew pāsaḥ, to pass over.

‌ptw
West Semitic, to advise.

fatwa, from Arabic fatwā, legal opinion, from a verb *fatā, to advise (attested only in derived denominative forms such as ʾaftā, to give a formal legal opinion).
mufti¹, from Arabic muftī, one who delivers legal opinions, mufti, active participle of ʾaftā (see above).

‌pṭr
To split, separate, detach.

haftarah, from Mishnaic Hebrew hapṭārâ, conclusion, from hipṭîr, to conclude, dismiss, derived stem of Hebrew pāṭar, to separate, remove, release.
1. Eid al-Fitr, from Arabic fiṭr, breaking a fast;
2. iftar, from Arabic ʾifṭār, verbal noun of ʾafṭara, to break a fast. Both a and b from Arabic faṭara, to split, break, break a fast.

‌pwl
Northwest Semitic noun *pawl‑, broad bean. ful, from Arabic fūl, broad beans, from Aramaic pōlā, broad bean.

‌qʿd
Central Semitic, to bend, sit.

Dhu'l-Qa'dah, from Arabic ḏūl-qaʿda, the one of the sitting (perhaps referring to staying at home instead of going to war, since this is the first of the months in which fighting is forbidden), from qaʿda, sitting;
al-Qaeda, from Arabic al-qāʿida, the foundation, the base. Both a and b from qaʿada, to sit.

‌qbl
Common Semitic noun *qabl‑, front, whence West Semitic denominative verb qbl, to receive.

cabal, kabbalah, from Hebrew qabbālâ, received doctrine, tradition, from qibbēl, to receive.
1. gabelle, from Arabic qabāla, tax, tribute;
2. Kabyle, from Arabic qabāʾilu, plural of qabīla, tribe. Both a and b from Arabic qabila, to receive.
qiblah, from Arabic qibla, the direction of the Kaaba, toward which Muslims face when praying, akin to qabila, to receive (compare the probably denominative derived stem qābala, to face).

‌qbṣ́
West Semitic, to collect, gather.

: kibbutz, from Hebrew qibbûṣ, gathering, from qibbēṣ, to gather, derived stem of qābaṣ, to gather.

‌qbw
Also qww.
West Semitic, to collect.

: mikvah, from Hebrew miqwâ, reservoir, or miqwe, collection (especially of water), immersion pool, both from qāwâ, to collect, perhaps akin to Aramaic (Syriac) qbā, to collect (of liquids), Ethiopic qabawa, to be distended (of the stomach).

‌qdm
Common Semitic noun *qadm‑, front, east, earlier time, with denominative verb, to precede, be in front.

: cadmium, Cadmus, from Greek Kadmos, from Phoenician *qadm, front, east.

‌qdš
To be(come) holy, sacred.

Kiddush, from Mishnaic Hebrew qiddûš, sanctification, purification, from Hebrew qiddēš, to consecrate, sanctify, derived stem of qādaš, to be(come) holy, sacred.
Kaddish, from Aramaic qaddiš, holy, sacred, from qədaš, to be(come) holy, sacred (so called after the first words of the prayer: yitgaddalwə-yitqaddaššəmeh rabbā, may His (God's) great name be exalted and kept holy).

‌qhr
Arabic root, to conquer, vanquish.

: Cairo, from Arabic al-qāhira, the conquering one, feminine active participle of qahara, to conquer, vanquish.

‌qhw
Also khw.
Central Semitic, to be(come) weak, dim, dull, dark.

: café, cafeteria, caffeine, coffee, ultimately from Arabic qahwa, coffee, wine (originally perhaps "dark stuff"), akin to Arabic kahiya, to be(come) weak, Aramaic kəhā, qəhā, Hebrew kāhâ, qāhâ, to be(come) dim, faint, dull.

‌qly
To burn, roast.

: alkali; hyperkalemia, hypokalemia, from Arabic (al‑)qily, the ashes, lye, potash, from qalā, to fry, roast.

‌qmṣ
Central Semitic, to enclose.

camisole, chemise, chemisette, kameez, from Late Greek kamision, probably from a Semitic source akin to Ugaritic qmṣ, a garment, Arabic qamīṣ, shirt, both akin to Hebrew qāmaṣ, to enclose with the hand, grasp.
camise, from Arabic qamīṣ, shirt.

‌qnw
Common Semitic noun *qanaw‑, reed.

canasta, cane, canistel, canister, canna, cannelloni, cannelure, cannoli, cannon, cannula, canyon; cannellini bean, from Greek kanna, reed, from a Semitic source akin to Akkadian qanû, Aramaic qanyā, Hebrew qāne, all meaning "reed."
canon¹, canon², from Greek kanōn, bar, from the same Semitic source as Greek kanna above or a related one.

‌qpl
West Semitic, to close, enclose.

: coffle, from Arabic qāfila, caravan, feminine active participle of qafala, to close, also a denominative verb, to return.

‌qr
Also qry.
West Semitic *qry, to meet; noun *qart‑, *qary(at)‑, *qiryat‑, village, town (*-(a)t‑, feminine suffix).

: Carthage, from Latin Carthāgō, from Phoenician (Punic) *qart-ḥadašt, new town, from *qart, town (*ḥadašt, new; see ḥdṯ).

‌qrʾ
To call (out), read, summon.

: Koran, from Arabic (al‑)qurʾān, (the) reading, Koran, from qaraʾa, to read, recite.

‌qrb
To be(come) near, draw near.

1. corban, from Hebrew qorbān, offering, from hiqrîb, to bring near, present, offer;
2. kiruv, from Mishnaic Hebrew qîrûb, bringing near, rapprochement, from Hebrew qērēb, to bring near. Both a and b derived stems of qārab, to approach.
carboy, from Arabic qarrāba, big jug, from qarraba, to bring near, derived stem of qaruba, to be(come) near.

‌qrm
West Semitic, to gnaw, glean.

: macramé, from Arabic miqrama, bedcover, thin curtain, veil, from qarama, to gnaw, nibble.

‌qry
See qr.

‌qsm
West Semitic, to divide, distribute, assign, ordain, practice divination; noun *qasm‑, *qism‑, divination.

: kismet, from Arabic qisma, portion, lot, destiny, fate, from qasama, to divide, distribute, assign, foreordain.

‌qṣb
To cut, cut off.

: Casbah, from Arabic dialectal qaṣba, citadel, fortified area of cities in northwest Africa, from qaṣaba, to cut up.

‌qṣ́y
West Semitic, to judge, decree, rule.

: alcalde, from Arabic al-qāḍī, the decisive one, judge, active participle of qaḍā, to settle, decree, judge.

‌qṭn
To be(come) thin, fine, small.

: cotton, from Arabic quṭn, quṭun, cotton, perhaps akin to Akkadian qatānu, to be(come) thin, fine (of textiles), or perhaps borrowed from an unknown source.

‌qwd
West Semitic, to lead.

: alcaide, from Spanish, from Arabic al-qāʾid, the leader, active participle of qāda, to lead.

‌qwm
West Semitic, to (a)rise, stand (up).

sycamine, from Greek sūkamīnos, mulberry tree, from a Semitic source akin to Qatabanian sqmt (probably to be read *suqāmat, planted (< "made to stand"), feminine passive causative adjective of *qāma, to stand), whence also Arabic sawqām, a type of fig tree, and Aramaic šiqmâ and Hebrew *siqāmâ, sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus).
sycamore, from Greek sūkomoros, sycamore fig, perhaps folk-etymological alteration of a word borrowed from the same Semitic source as above (influenced by Greek sūkon, fig, and moron, black mulberry).

‌qww
See qbw.

‌rʾb
To replace, rectify.

: Sennacherib, from Akkadian Sîn-aḫḫī-erība, Sin has replaced the (lost) brothers for me, from erība, he has replaced for me, from erīb, preterite of râbu, to replace + -a, for me (aḫḫī, brothers; see ʾḫ).

‌rʾš
Common Semitic noun *raʾš‑, head, top.

resh, from Hebrew rêš, resh, from Aramaic rēš or dialectal Phoenician *rēš, head, twentieth letter of the alphabet.
rho, from Greek rho, from Phoenician *rōš, head, twentieth letter of the Phoenician alphabet.
Rosh Hashanah, from Hebrew rōʾšhaš-šānâ, beginning of the year, from rōʾš, head, top, beginning.
ras el hanout, from Arabic raʾs, head, top.
Rastafarianism, from Amharic ras, head, chief, prince.

‌rʾy
West Semitic, to see.

: rai, perhaps from dialectal Arabic (hā ar‑)ray, (here is the) view, from raʾy, view, opinion, from raʾā, to see.

‌rʿy
To graze (of flocks), to pasture, tend (flocks).

: rayah, from Arabic raʿīya, flock, parish, subjects, a subject, from raʿā, to graze, pasture, tend.

‌rbʿ
Common Semitic *ʾarbaʿ‑, four, Central Semitic noun *rubʿ‑, fourth, quarter, and other derived forms of various patterns.

arroba, from Arabic ar-rubʿ, the quarter.
rabi, Rabi, from Arabic rabīʿ, fourth part, spring.
rubaiyat, from Arabic rubāʿī, quatrain, from rubāʿ, by fours.

‌rbb
Also rby.
To be(come) much, many, great.

1. rabbi, Reb², rebbe, from Hebrew and Aramaic rabbî, my master, from rab(b), master, chief, from rab, to be(come) much, many, great (î, my; see -y);
2. rabbinical, probably from Aramaic rabbin, plural of rab(b), master (see above).
Jeroboam, from Hebrew yārobʿām, the (divine) kinsman increased, from yārob, archaic preterite of rābab, to be(come) many, much (ʿām, kinsman; see ʿmm).
rebec, from Arabic rabāb, rebec, from rabba, to be master, control.

‌rbṭ
Arabic root, to bind, tie.

: marabout¹, from Arabic murābiṭ, posted, stationed, marabout, participle of rābaṭa, to be posted, derived stem of rabaṭa, to bind, tie.

‌rby
See rbb.

‌rgb
Central Semitic, to fear.

: Rajab, from Arabic rajab, a month name, from rajaba, to fear, revere.

‌rgl
West Semitic noun *rigl‑, *ragl‑, foot.

: Rigel, from Arabic rijl, foot.

‌rgm
To say, speak, call, shout, contest, lay claim to.

dragoman, from Arabic tarjumān, translator, from Aramaic targəmānā, from Akkadian targumannu, interpreter, either from Akkadian ragāmu, to speak, call, contest, or from an earlier Semitic verb in a derived stem, *t-rgm, to speak to one another, translate.
Targum, from Mishnaic Hebrew targûm, translation, from Aramaic targəmā (< *targumā), back-formation from targəmānā (see above).

‌rḥ
Common Semitic noun *raḥt‑, hand, palm of the hand (*-t‑, feminine suffix).

: racket¹, from Arabic rāḥat, bound form of rāḥa, palm of the hand.

‌rḥb
West Semitic, to be(come) wide, large.

: Rehoboam, from Hebrew rəḥabʿām, the (divine) kinsman has increased, from rəḥab, reduced form of rāḥab, to be(come) wide, large, to increase (ʿām, kinsman; see ʿmm).

‌rḫl
Common Semitic noun *raḫil‑, ewe.

: Rachel, from Hebrew rāḥēl, ewe.

‌rmṣ́
West Semitic, to burn, be(come) scorched.

: Ramadan, from Arabic ramaḍān, from ramaḍ, parchedness, from ramiḍa, to be(come) scorched.

‌rmy
To throw, throw down, set down, establish. Jeremiah, jeremiad, from Hebrew yirməyāhû, Yahweh has established, from yirm(ə), he has established, old preterite of rāmâ, to establish, cast.

‌rpʾ
West Semitic, to heal, mend.

Hammurabi, from Akkadian ḫammurāpi, from Amorite *ʿammu-rāpiʾ, the (divine) kinsman (is) a healer, from *rāpiʾ, participle of *rapaʾa, to heal (*ʿammu, kinsman; see ʿmm).
Raphael, from Hebrew rəpāʾēl, God has healed, from rəpāʾ, he has healed, reduced form of rāpāʾ, to heal (ʾēl, God; see ʾl).

‌rqq
To be(come) thin, fine, soft, tender.

: Merak, from Arabic marāqq, tender areas of the lower abdomen, loins, from raqqa, to be(come) thin, tender.

‌rṣʿ
Arabic root, to adhere.

: intarsia, from Arabic tarṣīʿ, inlaying, setting, infinitive of raṣṣaʿa, to inlay, derived stem of raṣiʿa, to adhere.

‌rwm
West Semitic, to be(come) high, exalted.

: Abraham, from Hebrew ʾabrāhām, the (divine) father is exalted, from rāhām, alternate form of rām, exalted, participle of rām, to be(come) high, exalted, rise.

‌rwy
West Semitic, to drink one's fill.

: Ruth, from Hebrew or Moabite rût, meaning uncertain, perhaps akin to rāwâ, to drink one's fill.

‌rym
East Semitic, to give.

: marionette, marry², Mary, Miriam; marigold, from Hebrew miryām, Miriam, meaning uncertain, perhaps "gift" (akin to Akkadian riāmu, to give) or "beloved" (of Egyptian origin).

‌rzm
Arabic root, to bundle.

: ream¹, from Arabic rizma, bundle, from razama, to bundle.

‌rzz
Arabic root, to fix, stick, insert.

: mortise, perhaps from Arabic murtazz, fastened, participle of irtazza, to be fixed (in place), derived stem of razza, to fix, stick, insert.

‌sdr
To arrange, put in order.

Seder, from Hebrew sēder, order, arrangement, Seder, akin to Mishnaic Hebrew sādar, to arrange, order.
siddur, from Mishnaic Hebrew siddûr, arrangement, from siddēr, to arrange, derived stem of sādar (see above).

‌sgd
or śgd.
Aramaic root, to bow down, worship.

: masjid, mosque, from Arabic masjid, mosque, from Aramaic *masgid, place of worship, from səged, to bow down, worship.

‌skk
To close, plug, weave together.

Sukkot, from Hebrew sukkôt, plural of sukkâ, booth, from sākak, to weave together, screen, cover.
sequin, from Arabic sikka, coin, die, from sakka, to close, to coin, mint.

‌smd
East Semitic, to grind (groats).

: semolina, simnel, from Latin simila, ultimately (perhaps via Greek semidālis, fine wheaten flour) from a Semitic source akin to Aramaic səmidā, fine flour, Arabic samīd, semolina, both probably from Akkadian samīdu, a type of groats, from samādu, to grind into groats.

‌smk
To support.

samekh, from Hebrew sāmek, samekh, from Phoenician *samk, support (?), fifteenth letter of the Phoenician alphabet;
sigma, from Greek sīgma, sigma, altered from Phoenician *samk (see above).

‌smq
or śmq.
Aramaic root, to be(come) red.

: sumac, from Arabic summāq, sumac, from Aramaic summāq, dark red, from səmeq, to be(come) red.

‌spr
West Semitic, to measure, count.

: sofer, from Hebrew sōpēr, scribe, active participle of sāpar, to count.

‌sqʿ
See ṣqʿ.

‌swd¹
Central Semitic, to discuss, take counsel.

: sayyid, from Arabic sayyid, chief, lord, master, from sāda, to be(come) chief, predominate, rule.

‌swd²
See šwd.

‌śʿb
Arabic root, to gather, disperse.

: Sha'ban, from Arabic šaʿbān, a month name, perhaps "dispersal," from šaʿaba, to gather, disperse.

‌śbk
Central Semitic, to entwine, weave, insert.

sambuca¹, from Aramaic sabbəkā, sambuca, from səbak, to fasten, cling.
xebec, from Arabic šabbāk, type of small ship, from šabaka, to entwine, fasten.

‌śgd
See sgd.

‌śkm
Arabic root, to bridle.

: hackamore, from Arabic šakīma, bit of a bridle, from šakama, to bridle.

‌śmḫ
To be(come) proud, lofty, joyful.

: Simchat Torah, from Hebrew śimḥat, bound form of śimḥâ, joy, rejoicing, from śāmēaḥ, to rejoice.

‌śmm
East Semitic noun *śamm‑, plant, herb.

sesame, sesamoid, from Greek sēsamē, sēsamon, from a Semitic source akin to Ugaritic ššmn, Phoenician ššmn, Aramaic šumšəmā, Arabic simsim, all probably from Akkadian šamaššammū, sesame, back-formation from *šaman šammammī, oil of plants, from šammī, genitive plural of šammu, plant (šaman, bound form of šamnu, oil; see šmn.). It is possible that the Akkadian form represents a folk etymology for an original form šamšamu, from a root *šmšm.
simoom, from Arabic samūm, hot wind, simoom, from samma, to poison, denominative from samm, poison, from Aramaic sammā, drug, from or akin to Akkadian šammu (see above).

‌śmq
See smq.

‌śqq
Common Semitic noun *śaqq‑, sack.

: sac¹, saccade, sachet, sack¹, sack², satchel; cul-de-sac, haversack, knapsack, rucksack, from Greek sakkos, coarse cloth, article made from coarse cloth, from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew śaq, Akkadian saqqu, sack.

‌śrʿ
To set, set up, erect, prescribe.

: shari'a, from Arabic šarīʿa, law, from šaraʿa, to ordain, prescribe.

‌śrb
West Semitic, to drink, absorb.

sherbet, sorbet, from Arabic šarba, a sip, drink;
shrub², from Arabic šurb, a drinking, drink;
syrup, from Arabic šarāb, a drink, beverage. a-c all from Arabic šariba, to drink.

‌śrp¹
To burn.

: seraph, back-formation from plural seraphim, from Hebrew śərāpîm, plural of śārāp, fiery serpent, seraph, from śārap, to burn.

‌śrp²
Arabic root, to be noble, highborn.

: sherif, from Arabic šarīf, noble, highborn, from šarufa, to be noble, highborn.

‌śrq
West Semitic, to be(come) red, rise (of the sun); noun *śarq‑, rising (of the sun), east.

: Saracen, sarsen, sirocco, from Arabic šarq, east, sunrise, from šaraqa, to rise, shine.

‌śrr
Common Semitic noun *śarr‑, prince, king.

Sarah, from Hebrew śārâ, princess, feminine of śar, prince.
1. Sargon, from Hebrew sargôn, from Akkadian šarru-kīn, the king is true, legitimate, from šarru, king (kīn, true; see kwn);
2. Belshazzar, from Hebrew bēlšaṣṣar, from Akkadian bēl-šar-uṣur, Bel protect the king, from šar, late form of šarru, king (bēl, Bel (Akkadian god), and uṣur, protect; see bʿl and nṯr).

‌śry
West Semitic, to strive, strive for, save, protect.

: Israel; Beta Israel, from Hebrew yiśrāʾēl, God has striven, God has saved, from yiśrā, he has striven, saved, archaic preterite of śārâ, to strive, persevere.

‌śṭn
Northwest Semitic, to be(come) hostile, accuse.

Satan, from Hebrew śāṭān, adversary, Satan, from śāṭan, to accuse, act as adversary;
shaitan, from Arabic šayṭān, Satan, from Ethiopic śayṭān, from Aramaic sāṭānā, from Hebrew śāṭān (see above).

‌śṭṭ
To tear apart, split.

: chott, from Arabic šaṭṭ, bank, coast, strand, from šaṭṭa, to exceed, deviate.

‌śwl
Arabic root, to rise.

: Shawwal, from Arabic šawwāl, a month name, from šāla, to rise.

‌śwr
West Semitic, to consult.

: shura, from Arabic šūrā, consultation, from šāwara, to consult.

‌śyʿ
Central Semitic, to assist.

: Shia, Shiite, from Arabic šīʿa, followers, disciples, faction (meaning influenced by Aramaic siʿā, absolute form of siʿtā, troop, company), from šāʿa, to spread, become known.

‌śyḫ
To grow, grow up, grow old.

sheikh, from Arabic šayḫ, old man, chief, from šāḫa, to grow old;
sheikha, from Arabic šayḫa, feminine of šayḫ (see above).

‌šʾl
To ask.

: Saul, from Hebrew šāʾûl, asked, requested, passive participle of šāʾal, to ask.

‌šbʿ
Common Semitic *šabʿ‑, seven.

1. Shavuot, from Hebrew šābûʿôt, plural of šābûaʿ, week, from šebaʿ, seven;
2. shiva, from Hebrew šibʿâ, seven, feminine of šebaʿ (see above).
1. Bathsheba, from Hebrew batšebaʿ, daughter of an oath (bat, daughter; see bn);
2. Elizabeth, from Hebrew ʾĕlîšebaʿ, my God (is) an oath (ʾĕlî, my God; see ʾl);
3. Beersheba, from Hebrew bəʾēr šebaʿ, well of oath (bəʾēr, well; see bʾr). a-c all from -šebaʿ, oath, from *šābaʿ, to swear, possibly denominative from šebaʿ, seven (? < "to bind oneself with sevens" in swearing oaths).

‌šbḫ
To settle, become still.

: sabkha, from Arabic šabaḫa, sabḫa, salt marsh, sabkha, from šabiḫa, to rest.

‌šbt
Central Semitic, to cease, rest.

Sabbath, sabbatical, Shabbat, from Hebrew šabbāt, Sabbath, from šābat, to cease, rest;
Shabbos, from Ashkenazic Hebrew pronunciation of šabbāt (see above).

‌šbṭ
To strike, beat.

: Shevat, from Hebrew šəbāṭ, a month name, from Akkadian šabāṭu, name of a month corresponding to parts of January and February, perhaps akin to šabāṭu, to strike, hit.

‌šdd
To draw, pull, plug, obstruct, despoil.

: sudd, from Arabic sudd, obstruction, from sadda, to plug, obstruct.

‌šgʿ
To rage, be(come) mad.

: meshuga, meshugaas, from Hebrew məšuggaʿ, mad, participle of šuggaʿ, to be(come) mad.

‌šgḥ
or šgḫ.
Hebrew root of uncertain meaning.

: mashgiach, from Hebrew mašgîaḥ, overseer, inspector, from hišgîaḥ, to gaze, look, inspect, derived stem of *šāgaḥ.

‌šḥl
To sharpen, scrape off, peel.

Swahili, from Arabic sawāḥilī, of the coast, Swahili, from sawāḥil, plural of sāḥil, coast, active participle of saḥala, to scrape off, smooth, plane;
Sahel, from sāḥil, coast, active participle of saḥala, to scrape off, smooth, plane.

‌škn
Central Semitic, to dwell.

: Shekhinah, from Mishnaic Hebrew šəkînâ, dwelling-place, tabernacle, divine presence, from Hebrew šākan, to dwell.

‌škr
Common Semitic noun *šikar‑, intoxicating drink.

: cider, from Greek sikera, from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew šēkār, Akkadian šikaru, intoxicating drink.

‌šlm
To be whole, sound; Common Semitic noun *šalām‑, well-being, welfare, peace.

1. shalom;; shalom aleichem, from Hebrew šālōm, well-being, peace, from šālēm, to be safe, sound;
2. Absalom, from Hebrew ʾabšālōm, my father (is) peace (see ʾb).
schlemiel, perhaps from the Hebrew personal name šəlūmîʾēl, my well-being (is) God, from šəlūm, well-being, variant bound form of šālôm (see above; ʾēl, God; see ʾl).
Solomon, from Hebrew šəlōmōh, his (God's) peace, from šəlōm, bound form of šālôm (see above).
Salome, from a Hebrew personal name akin to šəlōmît, Shelomith (biblical name), from šālôm (see above).
salaam, from Arabic salām, well-being, peace, from salima, to be safe, sound.
1. Islam, from Arabic ʾislām, submission, from ʾaslama, to surrender, resign oneself;
2. Muslim, Mussulman, from Arabic muslim, one who surrenders, active participle of ʾaslama (see above). Both a and b from Aramaic (Syriac) ʾašlem, to make peace, surrender, derived stem of šlem, to be whole.

‌šlp
West Semitic root, to precede, line up.

: Salafi, from Arabic salafī, of the forbears, of the predecessors, from salaf, forbear, predecessor.

‌šlṭ
To dominate, rule, have power over.

soldan, sultan, from Arabic sulṭān, power, authority, ruler, sultan, from Aramaic šulṭānā, power, authority, rule, ruler, from šəlaṭ, to dominate, rule, prevail;
sultana, from Arabic sulṭāna, feminine of sulṭān (see above).

‌šm
Common Semitic noun *š(i)m‑, name.

: Samuel, from Hebrew šəmûʾēl, name of God (alternatively, the name (is) God), from šəmû, archaic form of šēm, name.

‌šmʿ
To hear.

schmooze, perhaps from Hebrew šəmûʿâ, report, rumor, feminine passive participle of šāmaʿ, to hear;
Shema, from Hebrew šəmaʿ, hear, imperative of šāmaʿ, to hear (see above);
Ishmael, from Hebrew yišmāʿēʾl, God heard, from yišmaʿ, archaic preterite of šāmaʿ, to hear (see above; ʾēl, God; see ʾl).

‌šmn
Common Semitic noun *šamn‑, oil, fat.

Gethsemane, from Greek Gethsēmani, from Hebrew gat šemen, oil press, from šemen, oil (gat, press; see wgn).
sesame, sesamoid, from Greek sēsamē, sēsamon, sesame, from a Semitic source akin to Ugaritic ššmn, Phoenician ššmn, Aramaic šumšəmā, Arabic simsim, all meaning "sesame" and all probably from Akkadian šamaššammū, sesame, back-fromation from *šaman šammī, oil of plants, from šaman, bound form of šamnu, oil (šammī, genitive plural of šammu, plant; see śmm). It is possible that the Akkadian form represents a folk etymology for an original form šamšamu, from a root *šmšm).

‌šmš
Common Semitic noun *šamš‑, sun.

Samson, from Hebrew šimšôn, Samson, from šemeš, sun.
Shamash, from Akkadian šamaš, absolute form of šamšu, sun, sun-god.

‌šmšm
See šmm, šmn.

‌šn
Common Semitic noun *šan(a)t‑, year (*-(a)t‑, feminine suffix).

: Rosh Hashanah, from Hebrew šānâ, year.

‌šnn
Common Semitic noun *šinn‑, tooth; denominative verb, to sharpen.

shin², from Hebrew šîn, from Phoenician *šinn, tooth, twenty-first letter of the Phoenician alphabet, akin to Hebrew šēn, tooth. (The use of the word for "tooth" for this letter is the result of folk etymology and is based on the shape of the letter, which resembles a row of pointed teeth. The letter originally depicted a composite bow, a powerful kind of bow that is made of layers of different materials such as horn and wood and usually has the tips curving away from the archer when unstrung. The earlier name of the letter was *šann < *ṯann, "composite bow.").
1. Sunna, from Arabic sunna, customary practice, tradition, from sanna, to sharpen, shape, prescribe;
2. Sunni, from Arabic sunnī, Sunni, from sunna (see above).

‌špr
To send a message, send on a journey.

: safari, from Arabic safarīya, journey, from safar, departure, journey, akin to the denominative verb sāfara, to travel.

‌šqʿ
See ṣqʿ.

‌šqṣ
To be(come) wild, detestable. Exact preform uncertain; other possible reconstructions are *šqṣ́, *šqṯ, *ṯqṣ, and *ṯqṣ́.

: shegetz, shiksa, from Hebrew šeqeṣ, blemish, something detestable (compare denominative derived stem verb šiqqēṣ, to detest).

‌šqy
To water, give to drink.

: acequia, from Arabic as-sāqiya, the irrigation ditch, feminine active participle of saqā, to water, give to drink.

‌šry
To loosen, remove, begin.

: Tishri, from Hebrew tišrî, a month name, from Akkadian tašrītu, beginning, name of a month corresponding to parts of September and October, from šurrû, to begin, derived stem of *šarû, to begin.

‌šwʾ
Central Semitic, to be(come) evil, devastated, empty.

: Shoah, from Hebrew šôʾâ, devastation, calamity.

‌šwd
or swd.
Arabic root, to be(come) black.

: soda, perhaps from Arabic suwayd, soda, soda-plant, or suwayda, a type of saltwort, perhaps akin to ʾaswad, black.

‌šwr
Northwest Semitic noun *šūr‑, wall.

: sura, from Arabic sūra, sura, from Aramaic šurā, absolute form of šurətā, line, row.

‌šwy
Central Semitic, to be(come) even, equal.

Shiviti, from Hebrew šiwwîtî, I have set (first word of Psalm 16:8), from šiwwâ, to set, place, derived stem of *šāwâ, to be(come) even.
schwa, from Hebrew šəwāʾ, schwa, probably from Aramaic (Syriac) (nuqzē) šwayyā, even (points), plural passive participle of šwā, to be even, equal.

‌ṣbr
Common Semitic noun *ṣabar‑, aloe.

: sabra, perhaps from Yiddish sabre, member of the first group of Jewish groups to arrive in Palestine beginning in the 19th century or one of their descendants, probably from Palestinian Arabic ṣab(i)ra, singulative of ṣab(i)r, prickly pear (also the source of Modern Israeli Hebrew ṣābār, prickly pear, sabra); akin to Arabic ṣabir, ṣabr, aloe.

‌ṣdq
West Semitic, to be(come) just, righteous.

1. Melchizedek, from Hebrew malkî-ṣedeq, my king (is) righteousness, from ṣedeq, righteousness;
2. Zedekiah, from Hebrew ṣidqîyāhû, my righteousness (is) Yahweh, from ṣidqî, my righteousness, from ṣidq‑, presuffixal form of ṣedeq, righteousness (yāhû, Yahweh; see hwy). Both a and b from ṣādaq, to be(come) just, righteous.
Sadducee, from Mishnaic Hebrew ṣədûqî, Sadducee, after ṣādôq, Zadok, just, righteous, high priest in the time of David and Solomon, from ṣādaq (see above).

‌ṣḥb
West Semitic, to be(come) pressed, constrained, associated.

: sahib, from Arabic ṣāḥib, companion, master, participle of ṣaḥiba, to be(come) friends.

‌ṣḥl
Also ṣḥn.
West Semitic noun, dish, bowl, pan.

: saganaki, from Arabic ṣaḥn, dish, bowl.

‌ṣḥq
See ṣ́ḥq.

‌ṣlḥ
West Semitic, to prosper, be(come) good, better, useful.

: garam masala, from Arabic maṣāliḥ, plural of maṣlaḥa, benefit, good, from ṣalaḥa, to be(come) good, useful, in derived stem ʾaṣlaḥa, to improve, make suitable.

‌ṣnʿ
West Semitic, to be(come) strong, do (something) skillfully, build, produce, make.

: arsenal, from Arabic aṣ-ṣināʿa, the manufacture, industry, or from dār aṣ-ṣināʿa, place of manufacture, from ṣināʿa manufacture, industry, from ṣanaʿa, to make, produce.

‌ṣpn
Northwest Semitic, to hide.

: Zephaniah, from Hebrew ṣəpanyāh, Yahweh has hidden, Yahweh has treasured, from ṣəpan, reduced form of ṣāpan, he has hidden.

‌ṣpp
Also ṣpṣp and ṣwp.
To press down, cover, overlay.

sofa, from Arabic ṣuffa, sofa, from Aramaic ṣippā, absolute form of ṣippətā, a mat, perhaps akin to ṣippā, ṣuppā, carded wool;
Sufi, from Arabic ṣūfī, (man) of wool, from ṣūf, wool, perhaps from Aramaic ṣippā, ṣuppā, carded wool (see above). Both a and b perhaps from Akkadian ṣuppu, solid, massive, compacted (textile), verbal adjective of ṣuppu, to press down, rub down a horse, derived stem of *ṣâpu.

‌ṣpr¹
Arabic root, to be(come) empty, vacant.

cipher, zero; decipher, from Arabic ṣifr, empty (translation of Sanskrit śūnyam, cipher, dot), from ṣafira, to be(come) empty, vacant;
Safar, from Arabic ṣafar, Safar, probably from ṣafira (see above).

‌ṣpr²
Central Semitic, to be(come) yellow. zaffer, perhaps from Arabic ṣufr, yellow copper, brass, from ʾaṣfar, yellow.

‌ṣpṣp
See ṣpp.

‌ṣqʿ
Arabic root, to be(come) white, covered with frost.

: moussaka, from colloquial Egyptian Arabic musaqqaʿa, chilled, moussaka, feminine passive participle of Egyptian colloquial saqqaʿa, to chill, variant of ṣaqqaʿa, denominative from ṣaqʿa, cold (weather), frost, from ṣaqiʿa, be(come) white, covered with frost.

‌ṣrp
To burn, smelt, refine.

: silver, probably ultimately from Akkadian ṣarpu, refined, silver, verbal adjective of ṣarāpu, to refine.

‌ṣrr
Central Semitic, to be(come) narrow, restricted, distressed, to bind, tie.

: tsuris, from Hebrew ṣārâ, distress, from ṣārar, to be(come) narrow, to bind.

‌ṣwn
West Semitic, to protect.

: Zion, from Hebrew ṣiyyôn, probably originally meaning "stronghold, fortress", and derived from a root akin to Arabic ṣāna, to protect.

‌ṣwp
See ṣpp.

‌ṣwy¹
Also wṣy. Central Semitic, to command, order.

: mitzvah; bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah, from Hebrew miṣwâ, commandment, from ṣiwwâ, to command.

‌ṣy
Common Semitic reduplicated form *ṣīṣīt‑, tassel, fringe (*-t‑, feminine suffix).

: tzitzit, from Hebrew ṣîṣīt, tassel, fringe.

‌ṣ́bʾ
To wage war; Common Semitic noun *ṣ́ab(a)ʾ‑, army, troop.

: Sabaoth, from Hebrew ṣəbāʾôt, plural of ṣābāʾ, army, from ṣābāʾ, to wage war.

‌ṣ́ḥq
or ṣḥq.
To laugh.

: Isaac, from Hebrew yiṣḥāq, he laughed, archaic preterite of ṣāḥaq, to laugh.

‌ṣ́ḥw
Also ṣḥw, ṣḥy, ṣḥḥ.
West Semitic, to be(come) bright, dazzling.

: Eid al-Adha, from Arabic ʾaḍḥā, sacrifice, from ḍaḥā, to become visible (from the fact that the sacrifice is performed soon after sunrise).

‌ṣ́rb
West Semitic, to strike, hit.

: drub, perhaps from dialectal Arabic ḍrab, to hit, from ḍaraba, to hit.

‌ṣ́rw
Central Semitic *ṣ́arw‑, *ṣ́urw‑, an aromatic resin.

: storax, from Greek sturax, perhaps from a Semitic source akin to Ugaritic ẓurwu, Hebrew ṣŏrî, Sabaean ḍrw, Arabic ḍarw, ḍirw, all meaning "aromatic resin."

‌ṣ́yq
To be(come) narrow, constricted.

: souk, from Arabic sūq, market, from Aramaic šuqā, street, market, from Akkadian sūqu, street, from sâqu, to be(come) narrow, tight.

‌thm
Common Semitic noun *tihām‑, sea.

: Tiamat, from Akkadian tiāmat, absolute form of tiāmtu, sea.

‌tḥt
West Semitic *taḥt‑, under, under part.

: tush³, from Hebrew taḥat, under, under part.

‌tll
Common Semitic noun *till‑, *tall‑, mound, tell.

Tel Aviv, from Hebrew tēl ʾābîb, barley tell, from tēl, tell (ʾābîb, barley; see ʾbb).
tell², from Arabic tall, tell.

‌tmm
Central Semitic, to be(come) complete, finished.

: Urim and Thummim, from Hebrew tummîm, plural of tōm, completion, integrity, from tam, to be(come) complete, finished.

‌tmr
Common Semitic noun *tam(a)r‑, palm-tree, dates.

Tamar, from Hebrew tāmār, palm-tree.
tamarind, from Arabic tamr hindī, dates of India, from tamr, dates.

‌twʾm
Common Semitic noun *tawʾam‑, twin.

: Thomas, from Aramaic tāmā or Hebrew tôʾām, twin.

‌tww
Central Semitic noun *taww‑, mark, sign.

tau, from Greek tau, tau;
tav, from Hebrew tāw, tav. Both a and b from Phoenician *taww, mark, twenty-second letter of the Phoenician alphabet.

‌ṯ
See ḏ.

‌ṯʿlb
Common Semitic noun *ṯaʿlab‑, fox.

: salep, from Arabic ṯaʿlab, fox.

‌ṯmny
Common Semitic *ṯamāni‑, eight.

Shemini Atzereth, from Hebrew šəmînî, eighth, from šəmōne, eight.
Heshvan, from Hebrew ḥešwān, a month name, short for marḥešwān, from Akkadian (w)araḫsamnu, the eighth month of the Babylonian calendar, from samnu, eighth, from samāne, eight.

‌ṯn
Common Semitic *ṯn‑, two; derived verb *ṯny, to repeat.

Adar Sheni, from Hebrew šēnî, second.
Mishnah, from Mishnaic Hebrew mišnâ, repetition, instruction, from šānâ, to repeat.

‌ṯpṭ
To judge, administer.

: Jehoshaphat, from Hebrew yəhôšāpāṭ, Yahweh has judged, from šāpāṭ, he has judged, lengthened form of šāpaṭ, to judge (yəhô, Yahweh; see hwy).

‌ṯql
To weigh.

shekel, from Hebrew šeqel, weight, unit of weight, from šāqal, to weigh.
Ashkelon, scallion, shallot, from Hebrew ʾašqəlôn, Ashkelon, from earlier ʾaṯqalōn, from a Canaanite source perhaps originally meaning "scales, balance" or "weighing place" (Ashkelon having been an important center of commerce in ancient times).
metical, from Arabic mitqāl, colloquial variant of miṯqāl, weight, unit of weight, from ṯaqula, to be(come) heavy.

‌ṯqṣ, ṯqṣ́
See šqṣ.

‌ṯwʿ
Common Semitic ṯūʿ‑, lord. Joshua, from Hebrew yəhôšûaʿ, perhaps "Yahweh (is) lord," from *šûaʿ, lord). Alternatively, "Yahweh (is) salvation" (šûaʿ, salvation; see wṯʿ).

‌ṭbʿ
To sink.

: Tevet, from Hebrew ṭēbēt, a month name, from Akkadian ṭebētu, name of a month corresponding to parts of December and January, perhaps akin to ṭebû, to sink.

‌ṭḥn
To grind (flour).

: tahini, from Arabic ṭaḥīna, tahini, from ṭaḥīn, flour, from ṭaḥana, to grind.

‌ṭḥp
Root of uncertain meaning in South Semitic noun *ṭaḥ(a)f, the love grass Eragrostis tef, teff.

: teff, from Amharic ṭef, akin to classical Ethiopic and South Arabian ṭaḥ(a)f, teff.

‌ṭlb
West Semitic, to seek, request, claim.

: Taliban, from Arabic ṭālib, seeker, student, from ṭalaba, to seek.

‌ṭrḥ
To insert, throw, burden, toil.

matelassé, mattress, from Arabic maṭraḥ, place where something is thrown;
tare², from Arabic ṭarḥ, rejection, subtraction, deduction. Both a and b from Arabic ṭaraḥa, to throw, throw away.

‌ṭrp
Central Semitic, to tear, pluck, seize.

: tref, from Hebrew ṭərēpâ, torn flesh, from ṭārap, to tear, pluck.

‌ṭwʿ
Central Semitic, to obey.

: mutawa, from Arabic muṭṭawwiʿ, volunteer, one following the noncompulsory practices recommended in the shari'a, active participle of iṭṭawwaʿa, to volunteer, contracted form of taṭawwaʿa, to volunteer, reflexive of ṭawwaʿa, to make obedient, factative of ṭāʿa, to be obedient.

‌ṭwq
Arabic root, to be able, be capable, sustain, support.

pataca, from Arabic ṭāqa, window, from ṭāqa, to be able, be capable, sustain, in derived stem ṭawwaqa, to surround, enclose. (The name of the coin, ʾabū ṭaqa, "father of a window," derives from a scene on early piasters picturing the columns of Hercules, mistaken for windows.)
czardas, from Arabic ṭāq, arch.

‌ṭyb
To be(come) good, pleasant.

mazel tov, from Late Hebrew mazzāl ṭôb, good luck, from ṭôb, good, from ṭôb, to be(come) good;
Tobit, from Hebrew ṭôbīyāh, my good (is) Yahweh, from ṭôbī, my good (yāh, Yahweh; see hwy).

‌ṭyr
Central Semitic, to fly.

: Altair, from Arabic (an-nasr) aṭ-ṭāʾir, the flying (eagle), from ṭāʾir, flying, active participle of ṭāra, to fly.

‌ṯ̣ll
To be(come) dark, shaded; *ṯill‑, shade, shadow.

: tallit, from Mishnaic Hebrew ṭallît, cover, shawl, from ṭillēl, to cover, from Aramaic ṭallel, to cover, denominative from ṭəlāl, shade.

‌w
Common Semitic conjunction *wa‑, and.

: Veadar, from Hebrew wa-ʾădār, and Veadar, from wə‑, wa‑, and.

‌wʿd
Central Semitic, to fix a time; noun *ʿid(at)‑, fixed time, appointment, meeting (*-at‑, feminine suffix).

: Eid; Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, from Arabic ʿīd, feast, from Aramaic ʿed, day of assembly, feast-day, from ʿad, to fix a time.

‌wbl
See ybl.

‌wdd
See dwd.

‌wdy
West Semitic, to put, place, cast.

: wadi, from Arabic wādi, valley, ravine, river bed, akin to wadā, to pay blood money, in derived stem ʾawdā, to cut off, kill.

‌wgn
Central Semitic, to beat, press; noun *gint‑, oil or wine press (*-t‑, feminine suffix).

Gath, from Hebrew gat (< *gatt < *gitt < *gint), a press, from *gint;
Gethsemane, from Greek Gethsēmani, from Hebrew gat šemen, oil press (šemen, oil; see šmn).

‌wkl
To trust, rely.

: Tiglathpileser, from Hebrew tiglat pilʾeser, from Akkadian tukultī-apil-ešarra, my trusted one (is) the heir of Esharra, from tukultī, my trusted one, from tukultu, trust, object of trust, from takālu, to trust, alteration of earlier wakālum (apil, heir; see ʾpl).

‌wly
Central Semitic, to be(come) near, associated, in charge.

maulana, mullah, from Arabic mawlā, master, patron, friend;
vilayet, from Arabic wilāya, province. Both a and b from Arabic waliya, to be(come) near, adjacent, be in charge, manage, govern.

‌wqʿ
Arabic root, to fall.

: Vega, from Arabic (an-nasr al‑)wāqiʿ, (the) falling (eagle), from wāqiʿ, falling, active participle of waqaʿa, to fall.

‌wrḫ
Common Semitic noun *warḫ‑, moon, month.

: Heshvan, from Hebrew ḥešwān, a month name, short for marḥešwān, from Akkadian (w)araḫsamnu, name of a month corresponding to parts of October and November, eighth month of the Babylonian calendar, from (w)arḫu, month.

‌wrw
To lead, guide, cast, throw.

: Torah; Simchat Torah, from Hebrew tôrâ (< *tawrawat‑), direction, instruction, law, from hôrâ (< *hawriwa), to throw, shoot, direct, teach, derived stem of yārâ (< *warawa), to throw, shoot.

‌wsm
To be(come) fitting, suitable.

1. mazuma, from Medieval Hebrew məzummān, fixed currency, from Mishnaic Hebrew məzummān, fixed, passive participle of zimmēn, to arrange, arrange a meal, invite, denominative from Hebrew zəmān, appointed time, season, from Aramaic zəmān, zəman, time;
2. Sivan, from Hebrew sîwān, a month name. Both a and b from Akkadian simānu, season, time, name of a month corresponding to parts of May and June, from (w)asāmu, to be(come), fitting, suitable.
monsoon, from Arabic mawsim, season, from wasama, to mark, wasuma, to be(come) beautiful.

‌wsp
Central Semitic, to add, enlarge, increase.

: Joseph, from Hebrew yôsēp (< *yawsip), he increased, archaic preterite of hôsîp, to add, increase, derived stem of yāsap, to add, increase.

‌wṣl
West Semitic, to connect, join.

: muslin, from Arabic mawṣil, place of joining, from waṣala, to join.

‌wṣy
See ṣwy¹.

‌wtp
West Semitic, to insert, assign.

: Tophet, from Hebrew tōpet, a placename, perhaps originally "assignation" (of a child to be sacrificed there to a deity).

‌wṯʿ
West Semitic, to help, deliver, save.

1. 1. Joshua, from Hebrew yəhôšûaʿ, Yahweh (is) salvation, from *šûaʿ, salvation. Alternatively, "Yahweh (is) lord" (šûaʿ, salvation; see ṯwʿ).
  2. Jesus, from Hebrew yēšûaʿ, short for yəhôšûaʿ, Joshua (see above);
2. Elisha, from Hebrew ʾĕlîšāʿ, God (is) salvation, from *yāšāʿ, salvation (exact form uncertain; related to yēšaʿ, salvation, see below; ʾĕl, God, see ʾl). Both a and b from *yāšaʿ, to save (< *waṯaʿa);
3. 1. Hosanna, from Hebrew hôšaʿ-nāʾ, from hôšaʿ, deliver, save, imperative of hôšîaʿ, to deliver, save (< *hawṯiʿa), derived stem of *yāšaʿ (see above; nāʾ, injunctive particle);
  2. Hosea, from Hebrew hôšēaʿ, salvation, from hôšîaʿ (see above).
Isaiah, from Hebrew yəšaʿyāhû, salvation of Yahweh, from yəšaʿ, reduced form of yēšaʿ, salvation (yāhû, Yahweh; see hwy).

‌wṯb
To sit, dwell.

moshav, from Hebrew môšāb, seat, dwelling;
yeshiva, from Hebrew yəšîbâ, sitting, session, academy. Both a and b from yāšab(< *waṯaba), to sit, dwell.

‌wzr
Arabic root, to carry (a burden), take upon oneself.

: vizier, from Arabic wazīr, vizier, minister, burdened, from wazara, to carry (a burden), take upon oneself, or from ʾāzara, to help (see ʾzr).

‌x̣lb
Common Semitic noun *x̣alab‑, milk.

galbanum, from Greek khalbanē, of Northwest Semitic origin (compare Hebrew ḥelbənâ, Aramaic ḥelbānitā, galbanum, from *ḥalab, milk).
mahaleb, from Arabic maḥlab, mahaleb, from ḥalaba, to milk.

‌x̣lw
To be(come) sweet, pleasant, agreeable, merry.

: halvah, from Arabic ḥalwā, confection, from ḥaluwa, to be(come) sweet, pleasant.

‌x̣ml
To plan, carry.

: hamal, from Arabic ḥammāl, porter, from ḥamala, to carry.

‌x̣ny
To bend, incline.

: ras el hanout, from Arabic ḥānūt, shop, from Aramaic ḥānūtā, arched chamber, cell, shop, from ḥənā, to bend.

‌x̣rb
Common Semitic noun *x̣arb‑, plough, blade, dagger.

mojarra, from Arabic muḥarrab, sharpened, from ḥarraba, to sharpen, denominative from ḥarba, lance, spear.
Central Semitic denominative verbal root *ḥrb, to wage war, attack, smite. mihrab, from Arabic miḥrāb, recess, prayer niche, probably from Old South Arabian (Sabaean) mḥrb, part of a temple, from ḥrb, to fight, to perform a certain ritual in a temple.

‌x̣rm
To separate, ban, prohibit.

harmattan, possibly from Arabic ḥarām, evil thing;
Marrano, probably from Arabic maḥram, something forbidden;
harem, from Arabic ḥarīm, sanctuary, inviolable place, harem. a-c all from Arabic ḥarama, to exclude, deny, prohibit;
ihram, from Arabic ʾiḥrām, state of ritual purity of pilgrims to Mecca, infinitive of ʾaḥrama, to enter ihram, derived stem of ḥarama (see above);
Muharram, from Arabic muḥarram, forbidden, passive participle of ḥarrama, to declare sacred or unlawful, forbid, derived stem of ḥarama (see above).

‌x̣rṣ́
To be(come) yellow, gold(en).

: chryso-, from Greek khrūsos, gold, from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew ḥārûṣ, gold.

‌x̣ṣṣ
To cut, divide, diminish.

: mechitza, from Mishnaic Hebrew məḥiṣṣâ, partition, from Hebrew ḥāṣaṣ, to divide.

‌x̣zy
To see.

: chazan, from Mishnaic Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic ḥazzān, superintendent, cantor, from Akkadian ḫazannu, administrator, mayor, perhaps from earlier *ḫāziyānum, overseer, active participle of Proto-Akkadian verb *ḫazāyum, to see.

‌-y
Common Semitic pronoun suffix *-ī/-ya, my.

Adonai, from Hebrew ʾădônāy, my lord, from -ay, my (ʾādôn, lord; see ʾd).
rabbi, from Hebrew and Aramaic rabbî, my master, from -ay, my (rab(b), lord; see rbb).

‌ybl
or wbl.
Canaanite noun *yōbil‑, ram, ram's horn.

: jubilee, from Hebrew yôbēl, ram, ram's horn, jubilee (the latter probably originally "year of the ram's horn").

‌yd
Common Semitic noun *yad‑, hand.

1. iota, jot, from Greek iōta, iota;
2. yodh, from Hebrew yōd, yodh. Both a and b from Phoenician *yōd, hand, tenth letter of the Phoenician alphabet.
yad, from Hebrew yād, hand.
Betelgeuse, ultimately from Arabic yad al-jawzāʾ, hand of Gemini, from yad, hand.

‌ydʿ
To know.

: Mandean, from Mandean mandaya, having knowledge, from manda, from earlier Aramaic mandaʿ, maddaʿ, knowledge, infinitive of yədaʿ, to know.

‌ymn
West Semitic noun *yamīn‑ and East Semitic noun *yamin‑, right, right hand, south (on the right-hand side when facing east).

Benjamin, from Hebrew binyāmîn, son of the right hand, from yāmîn, right (hand), south. (The Israelite tribal name binyāmîn should perhaps instead be understood as the "southerner" and to be compared to a people called "sons of the right/south" in Akkadian texts of the time of Hammurabi.)
Yemen, from Arabic yaman, right side, south, Yemen.

‌ywm
Common Semitic noun *yawm‑, day.

Yom Kippur, from Hebrew yôm, day.
Enuma Elish, (the name of the Babylonian creation epic), from Akkadian enūma elîš, when on high (first words of the epic), from enūma, when, from ina, in, on + ūma, adverbial accusative of ūmu, day (elîš, on high; see ʿly).

‌ywn
Northwest Semitic noun *yawn‑, feminine *yawnat‑, dove.

: Jonah, from Hebrew yônâ, dove.

‌zbl
To carry, raise, exalt; Northwest Semitic noun *zabūl‑, prince.

Jezebel, from Hebrew ʾîzebel, where is the prince?, from zebel, akin to zəbûl, Zebul, a name meaning "prince" (ʾî, where; see ʾyy);
Beelzebub, from Hebrew baʿal zəbûb, lord (of the) fly, pejorative alteration of baʿal zəbûl, lord prince, name of a Philistine god (see bʿl and ḏbb).

‌zhr
Central Semitic, to shine, be splendid.

Zohar, from Hebrew zōhar, brightness, glow, from hizhâr, to shine.
hazard, perhaps from Arabic zahr, gaming die, perhaps from zahr, flowers (the sides of some medieval dice perhaps being painted with images of flowers), from zahara, to shine, be radiant.

‌zmr
To make music.

: klezmer, from Mishnaic Hebrew zemer, music, song, from zāmar, to make music.

‌zqr
East Semitic, to build high.

: ziggurat, from Akkadian ziqqurratu, temple tower, from zaqāru, to build high.

‌zyn
or ḏyn.
Root of uncertain meaning.

cedilla, izzard, zed, zeta, from Greek zēta, alteration (influenced by the following letter ēta, eta) of Phoenician *zēn, seventh letter of the Phoenician alphabet;
zayin, from Hebrew zayin, from alteration of Phoenician *zēn (see above).

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:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

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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