Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/daṯʔ-

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

Noun

*daṯʔ- m^[1]

grass

Inflection

Declension of *daṯʔ-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*daṯʔum	*daṯʔāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*daṯʔam	*daṯʔayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*daṯʔim	*daṯʔayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	daṯʔī / daṯʔVya	—	*daṯʔVni
2^nd person m	*daṯʔVka	daṯʔVkumā / daṯʔVkumay	*daṯʔVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*daṯʔVki	daṯʔVkumā / daṯʔVkumay	*daṯʔVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*daṯʔVšu	daṯʔVšumā / daṯʔVšumay	*daṯʔVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*daṯʔVša	daṯʔVšumā / daṯʔVšumay	*daṯʔVšin(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: *daṯʔuya for nom. case, *daṯʔiya for gen. case, *daṯʔaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒌑𒇷𒀀𒊬 (dīšum)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: ثُدَّاء (ṯuddāʔ, “desert papyrus (Cyperus conglomeratus”) (with metathesis)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic:
      - Jewish Literary Aramaic: דִּתְאָה (diṯʾā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܬܱ݁ܕܐܳܐ (taḏʾā) (with metathesis)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: דֶּשֶׁא (déshe, déšeʾ)
        ⇒ Hebrew: דָּשָׁא (dashá, dāšāʾ, “to sprout, to grow green”)
  - >? Old South Arabian:
    - →? Arabic: دِيس (dīs, “rush (Juncus spp.); club-rush (Scirpus spp.); rope grass (Ampelodesmos mauritanicus)”)

References

^ John Huehnergard (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in The Semitic Languages‎^[1], 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN

[1] John Huehnergard (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in The Semitic Languages‎^[1], 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN

[1]