Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʔimm-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic

Alternative forms

*ʔumm-

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔam, ultimately an onomatopoeic nursery word. Cognate with Egyptian mwt and Proto-Berber *ʔamm (whence Central Atlas Tamazight ⵎⵎⴰ (mma)).

Noun

*ʔimm- f (plural *ʔimmahāt-)

mother

Inflection

Declension of *ʔimm-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ʔimmum	*ʔimmāna	*ʔimmahātum
accusative	*ʔimmam	*ʔimmayna	*ʔimmahātim
genitive	*ʔimmim	*ʔimmayna	*ʔimmahātim

possessive forms
1^st person	ʔimmī / ʔimmVya	—	*ʔimmVni
2^nd person m	*ʔimmVka	ʔimmVkumā / ʔimmVkumay	*ʔimmVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*ʔimmVki	ʔimmVkumā / ʔimmVkumay	*ʔimmVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*ʔimmVšu	ʔimmVšumā / ʔimmVšumay	*ʔimmVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*ʔimmVša	ʔimmVšumā / ʔimmVšumay	*ʔimmVšin(ā)

the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *ʔimmuya for nom. case, *ʔimmiya for gen. case, *ʔimmaya for acc. case, etc.

Coordinate terms

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒂼 (ummum)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: أُمّ (ʔumm)
    - Maltese: omm
    - → Malayalam: ഉമ്മ (umma)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic:
      Imperial Aramaic: 𐡀𐡌𐡀 (ʾmʾ)
      
      Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡠𐡬𐡠 (ʾmʾ)
      
      Hatran Aramaic: 𐣠𐣬𐣠
      
      Nabataean Aramaic: 𐢁𐢓𐢀
      
      Christian Palestinian Aramaic: ܐܺܡܴ݁ܐ, ܐܺܝܡܴ݁ܐ (ʾimmā)
      
      Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Jewish Literary Aramaic, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אִמָּה (ʾimmā) אִמָּא (ʾimmā)
      → Ancient Greek: ἀμμά (ammá)
      → Coptic: ⲁⲙⲁ (ama)
      → Hebrew: אִמָּא (íma)
      - Classical Syriac: ܐܺܡܴ݀݁ܐ (ʾimmā)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: אֵם (em, ʾēm)
      - Phoenician: 𐤀𐤌 (ʾm)
        Punic: 𐤀𐤌 (ʾm /⁠ʾam⁠/)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎜𐎎 (ủm /⁠ʾummu⁠/)
  - Old South Arabian:
    - Minaean: 𐩱𐩣 (ʾm)
    - Qatabanian: 𐩱𐩣 (ʾm)
    - Sabaean: 𐩱𐩣 (ʾm)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - ⇒ Amharic: እማዬ (ʾəmaye), እማ (ʾəma)
  - Argobba: እም
  - Ge'ez: እም (ʾəmm)
  - Tigre: እም (ʾəm)

References

Kogan, Leonid (2015) Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN
Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN