E 0051          A S H

The word "ash" is of Germanic origin

H 0071           א ש

Concept of root: fire

Hebrew word

Pronunciation

English meanings

א ש

esh

fire

Related English words

ash

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

א ש

esh

fire

e sh

Greek

εστια

-

εσχαρα

estia

-

eskhara

hearth, fireplace ;

cooking-place

e s t

-

e s kh

English

ash

ash

a sh

Old English

asce ,

aesce

( burnt ) ash

a s c ,

e s c

Dutch

as

asch

as

askh(dial)

ash

a s kh

Old Norwegian

eisa ;

-

askr

eisa;

-

askr

fire,

hot ashes ;

ash , ashes

ei s

-

a s k

German

Asche

ashe

ash

a sh

 

 

Proto-Semitic *ASH --- *ASK Indo-European

 

 

The similarity in sound between the Germanic words , especially English , and Hebrew is very clear . In English the pronunciation of " A " has changed into nearly or fully " ‘E " , just like the Hebrew word .

 

One remarks that the specific meanings shift somewhat between " fire" and " ash ". But Old Norwegian shows the bridge between the two . Really this is no wonder, if we consider that the fire in ancient times was a continuous presence in the places and houses were people lived. There was normally a mixture of low flames, glowing elements and ashes .

 

Some derived words show that there is also a link to Greek.

 

Note:
  • Greek. In Dutch there also is a word "eest", meaning an oven for drying. In Greek we have "εστια , estia" for "fireplace for cooking". This word has opened the way for a verb "εστιαω , estiao" saying "to receive guests". Naturally at the time the warm place , the hearth, was where the good food was cooked and guests were received .

     

    If we visit Greece today, we see that many restaurants are called "εστιατοριο , estiatorio". The other popular name is of course "ταβερνα , taverna" , but that was already an old loanword from Latin. Probably Roman soldiers have brought it to Greece .

     

    There is an opinion that " estia " comes from " westia ", a word beginning with the old letter waw , but there is no other clear indication in that direction. In such a case the similarity with the Germanic and Hebrew words points to the conclusion that there was no such initial W . In fact other scholars see " estia " as related to "εσχαρα , eskhara" that means cookingplace , grill, stove, but also the brazier that keeps the "glowing embers" of Hebrew "esh" and Germanic "ash".

     

    It seems obvious that Greek " eskhara " is a development on the basis of an older root " * εσχ- , eskh-" with the message of " fire ". Greek also has the verb αιθω , aitho = to burn". This verb is obviously not at the origin of "εστια , estia", but is certainly related to other Indo European words. Greek as far as regards the relation with "ash", has a very similar original "Ĕ SKH-".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . Hebrew "esh" corresponds with a.o. Aramaic " esha" and is seen as derived from Proto-Semitic "א ש, *ish which we rather see with the pronunciation esh" . This is in harmony with our supposition of a common origin of the words of this entry .

     

    Various other Semitic languages also have a T , like more emphatic Aramaic "ishata" and Akkadian " ishatu ". Remarkable is Ethiopian "esat = fire" with "S" instead of "SH". All this recalls what has been seen in the aforementioned words " estia " in Greek and " eest " in Dutch . There may have been also an emphatic or extended root : "* א ש ת, Aleph SH T " in use in Proto-Semitic.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. As shown, there are various Germanic languages in which the initial vowel (mostly an A) is followed by an SH- or SK-sound. Then there are words with an added dental that mean either "oven" or "hearth", which can be seen as extended meanings of "fire". We see here Dutch "eest" and Low German "eiste" with the same meaning. In Old Saxon "ed = (funeral) pile of fire" and Middle and Old German "eit= glow, fire" the S or SH has disappeared . Related is German "Esse", with a double S", also seen in older language, and the more specialized meaning of " chimney" or "work-oven" , also seen in Swedish "aisja" in which the "SJ" is like the "SH" in English "ash". The added "T" is an instrument of diversification, especially used to indicate the place where the fire is present. A different root is found in Gothic "azgō, but this cannot lead to a different hypothesis, as this East Germanic "ZG" probably is a local specific development as more often is the case in East Germanic.

     

    One may suppose a Proto-Germanic "*Ă SH" , though the pronunciation may have varied with "*Ĕ S" and intermediate forms, just as is the case in modern speech. Besides this there probably was the form with suffix T, that can be seen as emphasizing or localizing: "*Ĕ ST" . From there it developed into "* Ă ZG " in East Germanic, "* Ă SKH " in West Germanic and "* Ă SK " in North Germanic.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew in the Bible has a composite word " א ש י ש ה , ashisha " that is translated as " cake " , an oven product. Others say it means " dried raisins " , but the word is in singular , which still indicates a product prepared probably with the help of oven-heat .

 

Note:
  • Latin Vesta. Several scholars link the name of the Roman deity Vesta to Greek "estia " , but others see a more probable link to an Indo-European root "* wes " with the meaning of " to live, stay " . This seems the more probable explanation .

 

Note:
  • Latin has a word "aedes", more often spelled "aedis", that means in singular "house(of one space), temple" and in plural "house, household". The current opinion is that the word "aedes" is related to the word "aestus = glow, heat, boiling" with further figurative meanings as found in other languages. That means that the root "aed-" would be based on the concept of "to burn", really meaning "place where the fire burns". We remark that "aedes", for which no related verb seems to be known, is at the basis of many words in the field of construction and real estate. One must doubt that this is based on that "fireplace" in a Mediterranean climate. And a fireplace inside is not a typical characteristic of all temples. But our "aestus", with the verb "aestuo" = "to flame, glow" indicates the kind of burning that is presented in Hebrew and older Germanic "esh" and "ash" and is related to the words of our entry. Latin then has " AE S-".

 

Note:
  • Latin " arere " , meaning " to be dry " and " ardere , to burn " frequently are considered as related to English " ash " . But the limited similarity in meaning, together with the absence of real similarity in consonants , advises not to take this in consideration .

     

    And of course the comparison with Hebrew closes the door to that idea .

 

Note:
  • Russian There are cognates of "ash" with the meaning of "to burn" in Russian . These words are based on "SH", and have doubled or even tripled that sound, also emphasizing it into "ZJ", especially in the infinitive form in three verbs : ж е ц ъ, zjetshj , ж ж е ш ъ, zjzjeshj And с ж е ц ъ, szjetshj, all meaning "to burn". Russian uses also other verbs for "to burn" and has quite different roots for "ash". The origin of the Russian words of this entry, related to "ash", probably lies in an "*E SH.

 

Note:
  • Russian also has the word " искра , iskra" that says " spark, sparkle, flake of fire . This may well be related to the words of this entry . The presence of " R " is seen also in Greek " eskhara ", that is considered related to "iskra", but means "fireplace". In the expression " последняя  искра   жизни , posljednyaya iskra zjizni " we find " life’s last embers " . But this English translation may be a misleading argument , as also other languages than Russian use words for " spark " to express " Life’s last embers " .

 

Note:
  • Indo-European . The words in the various languages that are based upon Indo-European, usually have an initial vowel that is mostly an "Ă", sometimes with added I or E becoming "AE" or "AI" and in a few cases "Ĕ". The following, and only, consonant or double consonant varies considerably and one can distinguish two groups. One group has versions with mostly either S/SH/SK/TSH , the other uses dentals like D/DH/TH. D is found in Old Irish aed = fire" and Cymric "aidd = heat", DH in Old Indian "édha-", TH in Greek " aitho = to burn". On this basis a hypothesis of "*AI DH" has been made.

     

    Then leaning on just Gothic "azgō" there exists a hypothesis "*A ZGH-", that has looked for support in Armenian "azazem = I dry", comparing also Armenian "mozi = young veal" with Greek "moskhìon" with the same meaning. Well, if that comparison is valid, it leads to "SKH", not "ZGH".

     

    The "S" or "SK" is visible in another Old Indian word , "āsa = ash ". Avestan aésma = firewood, Hittite "hassa- = hearth, fireplace". Greek estia; eskhara = fireplace; fireplace, glowing embers", Latin "aestuo = to burn, flame, glow". Further as mentioned SK or SKH in Proto-Germanic and SH as the basis of Russian (see the above Note). TSH in Armenian "ačiwn = ash". On this basis a hypothesis can be made of Indo-European "AI SK" or "A SK" We have no reason to exclude either of both suppositions and it is probable that both existed with possibly a diversification in meaning, between "fireplace" with the kind of fire-phenomena found there for "*AI SKH" and more general meanings of "burning" for "*AI DH".

     

    Perhaps it is understandable that to such an important phenomenon as "fire" have been dedicated various roots, often trying to diversify between different ways in which fire appears and develops. Indeed there are also words in Indo-European languages that seem not to fit into the supposed original forms we mentioned already. So there is Avestan "ātar-sh, gen. athr-Ō = fire". A hypothesis for Celtic "*Ā T I-" has been made , but the basis is in words with "TH", that rather would fit into the pattern of "*AI DH".

 

 

 

 
"...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: 15/05/2013 at 18.53.29