E 0016          AGORA

The word "agora" comes from Greek

H 0014         א ג ר

Concept of root: to collect

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

א ג ר

agar

amass, collect (harvest)

Related English words

agora

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

א ג ר

agar

amass, collect (harvest)

a g . r

Greek

αγειρω

-

αγορα

-

-

ageiro

-

agora

-

-

collect,

gather;

place of gathering (people)

a g . r

Latin

aggero

aggero

bring on, supply, collect

a g . r

English

agora

agora

a g . r

Middle Dutch and Dutch

garen, vergaren

gharen, vergharen

to gather, collect

   g . r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *AGAR --- *GAR-, *AGER Indo-European

 

 

These words have a complicated relationship with a similar group, guided by English "gather", Hebrew "gadad" and Dutch "gaderen", which all have the same meaning . We have to elaborate some more characteristics. We refer to entries E 0360 (Hebrew 0347) and E 0361 (Hebrew 1046).

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This word and root seem to be found in Hebrew only and we lack a wider basis for a hypothesis for Proto-Semitic, though the strong similarity with various branches of Indo European make it probable that Proto-Semitic already used the same root seen here in Hebrew : א ג ר.

 

Note:
  • Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Greek "ageiro" and Hebrew "agar" have in common that they begin with a reinforcing or confirming vowel "A", which is not a component of the original common root "G. R". In Dutch "garen" and "gaderen", like English "gather", Middle English "gaderen"( as often identical to Dutch ) and Old English "gad(e)rian" we do not find that initial "A".

     

    This kind of initial "A" is a common phenomenon in both Greek and Hebrew. There are various uses, basically three, for added opening vowels. They are placed in front of an existing root without initial vowel in order to either:

     

    1. confirm the meaning of the previous root or:

     

    2. to contradict , overturn the meaning of the original root to which the vowel added, or even :

     

    3. have only an esthetic function, such as the pleasure of ease of pronunciation.

     

    For Latin "aggero" the situation is more complicated. "aggero, aggeravi, aggeratum, aggerare = to amass, raise, shape by raising" of the first declination is related to the noun "agger = brought on material, dam", but also considered a development of "aggero, aggerere" of the third declination. This verb is generally seen with a different etymology from Greek "ageiro", in which the "ag" is the result of a prefix "ad-" for the verb "gero, gessi, gestum, gerere = to carry, wear, produce, present,conduct, " etc, in which the carrying certainly is not the principal message. This verb "gero" for unknown reasons lends its forms "gessi, gestum" to "aggerere" and itself has developed out of an earlier *geso". An intensive verb "gesto, gestavi, gestatum, gestare= to carry about, be carried, convey, bring" is used. Some special developments have taken place. The basic verb "gero" as such does not have the same messages as Hebrew "agar" and Greek "ageiro", but "aggero" does.

 

Note:
  • But in English "to gather" and in the "gaderen" version of Dutch we find a dental, "D" or "TH" inserted as a middle consonant. This same dental we find in Hebrew "gadad". This is explained in entry Number E 0360 (Hebrew 0347), dedicated to "gadad".

 

Note:
  • Usually Dutch "garen" is seen as a contraction of "gaderen", with both meaning "to gather". But as both words are very old this is far from certain. Besides, there are the Greek, Latin and Hebrew relatives built on a root similar to that of "garen". A third point is that "gaderen" is more alive than "garen" in Modern Dutch, especially in the composed verb "vergaderen", which means "hold a meeting", next to "vergaren" which says "collect" just like "garen".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. We have no information from outside Dutch similar to the verb "garen", but its brief root may have been present in Proto-Germanic as "*G Ā R-" besides "*G Ā D-" and "*G Ā D R-". This last form can be an iterative.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. We have not much information from outside Greek and Germanic, but there is an important Sanscrit "dhâráya", in which the "DH" is a normal development as to an original "GH". Its root holds the meanings of "to carry, bear, convey, hold, wear, allot" etc. It is quite possible that Indo-European indeed had a form "*G A R- and perhaps also an added initial "A" in "A G A R-"

 

Note:
  • The Greek word "agora" we have added because, besides being related to the other words of this entry, it is a rather well known word for English speakers. The "agora" of Athens is famous as the place where the people of Athens gathered.

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 21/12/2012 at 10.24.59