E 0050          A S

The word " as " is of Germanic origin

H 0100            ז א

Concept of root : well then

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ז א

az

then, well then

Related English words

as

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ז א

az

then , while   well then

a z

Greek

ας

as

till, until, as long as, while

a s

Modern Greek

ας

as

(well)then, let us

a s

English

as

while

a s

 

 

Proto-Semitic *AZ --- *ĂS Indo-European

 

 

The words of this entry are very brief, and also alike in message and sound. The English word "as" has various other meanings as well, but the similarity with and between Greek and Hebrew is there clearly to see.

 

The similarity seen in this entry makes it improbable that " az " has originated from " azai" with he same meaning , as some scholars think.
We would rather see the longer word as an extended form.

 

 

Note:
  • English and Proto-Germanic. "As" in English is used for many meanings, but in this entry we refer just to that of "while", not to others like "if", "because", "like". This should not be seen as a development out of Germanic "als", that carries those three meanings and perhaps is originally a composed word like Old English "ealswā > alswā", with its meanings "just as, even as, as if, so as, likewise", but not "while".

     

    Old Frisian has "asa, as" , without a consonant " L . As stated, this can hardly have been developed out of a form "also" as usually thought. Proto-Germanic may have had both forms, and thus with the specific meaning of "as" the same form "*"Ă S".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. Related words are found in Aramaic "edain, hedain", Syriac " hayden" and Arabic "idh, idha ". The Arabic words with "dh" and the those with "d" in the other languages may well be cognates. The common opinion is that the Arabic "dh" corresponds with the Hebrew "Z". Transliteration is never perfect of course. For Hebrew the secondary form " א ז י , " azai, Aleph, Zain, Yod" is sometimes seen as the original one, as such related to an Arabic "'idhà". But usually the longer form is the later one in Semitic languages. In this case the "I" is a suffix and the original Hebrew word must have been just the same one that is mostly used also today, without the final "I": א ז, "* az, ", "Aleph Zain". So as the Proto-Semitic form, also further comparing the similar words in Indo European, we tend to suppose a similar root " * א ז, "* az, ", "Aleph Zain".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. A bit daringly we hypothesize an Indo-European similar to Greek: "* A S ". Some support we find in English "as", though its etymology with the specific meaning of "while" has not been cleared.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 27/09/2012 at 19.01.39