Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/māy-

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

*may-

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic *maʔ-.

Noun

*māy- m pl

water

Inflection

Declension of *māy-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*māyum	*māyāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*māyam	*māyayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*māyim	*māyayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	māyī / māyVya	—	*māyVni
2^nd person m	*māyVka	māyVkumā / māyVkumay	*māyVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*māyVki	māyVkumā / māyVkumay	*māyVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*māyVšu	māyVšumā / māyVšumay	*māyVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*māyVša	māyVšumā / māyVšumay	*māyVšin(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: *māyuya for nom. case, *māyiya for gen. case, *māyaya for acc. case, etc.

Reconstruction notes

Kogan gives the reconstructed form as *mā̆y-, with vowel length uncertain. No inflection is shown here; the Akkadian and some West Semitic forms are plural only, as are the Proto-Berber and Egyptian forms, suggesting that the same may have been the case for Proto-Semitic.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒀀 (mû)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: مَاء (māʔ)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic: מַיָּא (mayyā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܡܰܝܴ̈ܐ (mayyā)
      - Mandaic: ࡌࡉࡀ (miā/myā)
      - Lishana Deni: מאיא (ṃāya), מאייה (ṃāye), [script needed] (miya) (Christian Bishmiyaye dialect)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: מַיִם (máyim)
        → Yiddish: מים (mayim)
        → Dutch: majem
      - Phoenician: 𐤌𐤌 (mm /⁠mēm⁠/)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎊 (my)
  - Old South Arabian:
    - Sabaean: 𐩣𐩥 (mw)
  - Safaitic: 𐪃𐪚 m (my /⁠māy⁠/), 𐪃𐪚𐪉 f (myt /⁠mayyat⁠/), 𐪃𐪅𐪑 (mwʾ /⁠mowayʾ⁠/), 𐪃𐪑 (mʾ /⁠māʾ⁠/)
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Harsusi: myōh
  - Hobyót: ḥmo
  - Mehri: moh
  - Shehri: míh
  - Bathari: muh
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Dahalik: ማይ (may)
  - Ge'ez: ማይ (may)
  - Harari: ሚይ (miy)
  - Silt'e: መይ
  - Tigre: ማይ (may)
  - Tigrinya: ማይ (may)
  - Wolane: መይ
  - Zay: ማይ

References

Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 191
Alexander Militarev, A complete etymology-based hundred wordlist of Semitic updated: Items 75-100, in the Journal of Language Relationhip[s]