E 0634          OPAQUE

The word   "opaque" is of Latin origin

H 0049          א פ ל

Concept of root: darkness

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

א פ ל

ophel;

aphal

darkness;

to be(come) dark

Related English words

opaque, from  Latin 

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

א פ ל

ophel;

aphal

darkness;

to be(come) dark

o ph . l

Latin

opacus 

- 

obscurus 

 opacus

 -

 opacus;

shadowy, dark ;

dark

o p . c ;

o b sc

English

opaque,  

opaque,  

o p . q

 

 

Proto-Semitic *‛OP(H) --- *OP- Indo-European

 

 

 

This entry is strictly related to number E 0636 (Hebrew 0211) as well as E 0634 (Hebrew 0163).

 

Both Latin and Hebrew have a root with three consonants, roots indicating darkness, with Latin also still referring perhaps, but not with certainty, to a more basic origin of darkness: shadow. But also in Hebrew we find, with he same root "Aleph P L", this time with the vowel "A" instead of "O" pronounced under the sign of Aleph, a word "aphal" meaning "dusk", the darkness of the evening.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew, if it has here a common origin with Latin, should have added the third consonant, the " L", later , as Latin should have done with the C or K-sound. As to Hebrew this is made probable by the existence of a root " ע פ , ‛aphà ", to be seen in for example the word " ע פ ת ה , ‛éphata " (also "épha'a without "T") that says precisely "darkness". Decisive is then another root, " ע ו ף, ‛oph = to become dark ". This root is referred to in entry E 0636 (Hebrew 0211).

     

    It is very important to observe that , as in quite a few other cases, Hebrew in these words has introduced the stronger initial "Ayin" also instead of the standard "Aleph".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. The origin of this root that has the verb "aphal" for " to be(come) dark" is in the concept of sunset. As such it is found in Arabic "afala = (the sun) set" and in a way in Akkadian "apalūu = getting late ". A Proto-Semitic "א פ ל *Aleph P L " is quite possible. And quite certainly there has been "ע ו ף, ‛op" or "‛oph" with a message of darkness and shadow.

 

Note:
  • Latin gives a less clear picture . The word "obscurus", mentioned in the Table, is not related to the others. It is a composed word with a prefix "ob" and a second part "scurus". It has been tried to link the word "opacus" to a number of words in other Indo European languages that also have that K-sound. The reasoning is then that "turned away from the sun" would have been used to say "shadow, darkness". In reality those words, such as Old Indian "apakah = laying far, off, coming from the far side " have nothing to do with shade or darkness.

     

    Not much nearer is the verb "operire", that has an R instead of a K, shares the first part "op- " with opacus and says " to cover, hide ". This meaning is not the same as "darkness" or "shadow", though these may be the consequence of the covering or hiding action. The two different final consonants are then a reasonable means of diversification. But this comparison may be too imaginative.

     

    Regretfully one has to say that there is no established or even likely etymology for this important Latin word "opacus". But on general principles one may conclude that "-acus" is a suffix that consists of two elements, the "-ac-" for the adjective and the "-us" for "masculine, singular". That leaves a Latin message for Indo-European as "*O P-" with the message of "shadow, darkness".

 

 

 

 
"...the town, to which was given the name Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the language of all the world on the face of which He dispersed them. GENESIS 11,9"
 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 22/01/2013 at 15.12.35