E 0043          ARABLE

The word "arable" has come via French from Latin "arabilis"

H 0059           א ר ה

Concept of root: plow and harvest

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

א ר ה

arą

to harvest, pluck

Related English words

arable

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

א ר ה

arą

to harvest, pluck

a r .

Greek

αρνυμαι ;

- ;

αροω ;

-

-

αροτος ;

-

-

arnümai ;

-

aro'o ;

-

-

arotos ;

-

-

 gather and take away;

to plow, cultivate, sow ;

plowing, grainfield, harvest

a r n . ;

-

a r .

-

-

-

-

-

Latin

arare ;

arabilis

arare;

arabilis

to plow ;

arable

a r .

English

arable

arable

a r .

 

 

Proto-Semitic *ARÁ" --- *AR- Indo-European

 

 

This entry can be compared with several others that deal with earth and products from the earth and with roots having a vowel ( often A) plus R .

 

Here the root "A R" is used for the concepts of working the earth, preparing the fields and harvesting from them. Adding "G" it may acquire the meaning of the putting away in containers of the resulting yield.

 

See entry E 0048 (Hebrew 0065).

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic.We find precious information regarding the same basic root in Ethiopian "'arára" and "'aráya, together with Tigri " 'ará" that all mean "he harvested, reaped". It is interesting to see that Ethiopian uses two forms, of which one features an " Y " and the other not. Tigri then is there to show our basic root "Aleph + R + accentuated vowel ".

     

    The Hebrew verb with the root of this entry, in the past forms has an "I"-sound that often is seen as a third consonant, Yod, pronounced as a vowel. Consequently the root is then seen as " Aleph R Y ". On this basis also for Proto-Semitic here a root " *Aleph R Y" is supposed. But it must be noted that the "I"-sound in question is far from generally present in Semitic languages . Fundamental remains the two consonant root ( or if one insists root part) "*Aleph R ", with an accentuated vowel after the "R": א ר ה

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. We refer to our Note in Entry E 0044 (Hebrew 0675), that says :

     

    Latin "arare" and Greek "aroo" both have an original "A R-".

     

    Armenian also has "A R-" in "araur = plough"

     

    Celtic shows Middle Irish "airim = plow" and Cymric "arddu = to plow", with "A R-"

     

    Baltic has Latvian "aru = to plow" and Lithuanian "ariù = plow", with "A R-"

     

    Germanic with Gothic "arjan" and Old Norse "erja", both saying "to plow", with Old High German "art = plowed land" and "ardon, arton = to cultivate the land" also indicate an original "A R-"

     

    Slavic with Russian " о р а т ь, oratj = to plow, till", that has a number of related words gives "O R-, that finds confirmation in Old Church Slavonic "orja" and in other Slavic tongues.

     

    Indo-European probably had "A R-.

     

    It is useful to note that Indo-European probably had an extended form "A R W-, present in many languages, with the meaning of "plowable land, land for cultivation".

 

 

 

 
"...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: 21/12/2012 at 14.10.39