Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/tihām-

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

*tihām- m

sea

Reconstruction notes

Multiple descendants appear to reflect a feminine variant *tihāmat-, and it is unclear which gender is original.

Inflection

Declension of *tihām-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*tihāmum	*tihāmāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*tihāmam	*tihāmayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*tihāmim	*tihāmayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	tihāmī / tihāmVya	—	*tihāmVni
2^nd person m	*tihāmVka	tihāmVkumā / tihāmVkumay	*tihāmVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*tihāmVki	tihāmVkumā / tihāmVkumay	*tihāmVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*tihāmVšu	tihāmVšumā / tihāmVšumay	*tihāmVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*tihāmVša	tihāmVšumā / tihāmVšumay	*tihāmVšin(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: *tihāmuya for nom. case, *tihāmiya for gen. case, *tihāmaya for acc. case, etc.

Derived terms

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒀀𒀊𒁀 (tiāmtum, “sea, lake”)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: تِهَامَة (tihāma)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: תְּהוֹם (t'hóm, təhôm, “abyss, deep”)
        → Aramaic: תְהוֹמָא / ܬܗܘܿܡܵܐ (təhōmā)
        → Yiddish: תּהום (tom)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎚𐎅𐎎 (thm /⁠tihāmu⁠/), 𐎚𐎅𐎎𐎚 (thmt /⁠tihāmatu⁠/)

References

Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN, page 57
Kogan, Leonid (2015) Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 240