GD 1063          LAF

H 0132            ף ל ע

Concept of root : weak and fainting

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ף ל ע

ף ל ע

ף ל ע

*‛aleph;

‛illèph;

ullaph

to faint, swoon;

to make faint;

to faint, weaken

Related English words

none

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ף ל ע

-

ף ל ע

-

ף ל ע

- -

*‛alaph;

-

‛illèph;

-

‛ullaph

-

to faint, swoon;

to make faint;

to faint, weaken

׳a l ph

Greek

ιλιγγος

ilingos

dizzyness

 i l g

Middle Dutch

laf

laf

weak, faint

   l f

 

 

Hebrew *‛ALAPH < Proto-Semitic *LAB/P --- * L Ă B- Indo-European

 

 

The Dutch word seems very near the Hebrew one, in which the initial vowel probably is a confirming one, which would be a rather common phenomenon. It means that a root with two consonants, in this case "L - P". has already a meaning, in our case "faint, weak". That meaning is than reinforced by beginning with the vowel "A". This kind of linguistic development is particularly common in Greek, where a letter Alpha with such a reinforcing or confirming task is called "epitactical".

 

Yet the possible relation with the Hebrew root "Ayin L M" of Entry (Hebrew 0131) makes this hypothesis rather uncertain.

 

Note:
  • Greek . Ilingos comes from the verb "eileo" that means basically "to whirl, swirl".

 

Note:
  • Middle Dutch and Dutch . In modern Dutch the word "laf" has acquired as its main message that of "cowardly", though food with a weak taste is still called "laf".

     

    In Middle Dutch "laf" also means "slack, limp", but especially "weak, without strength, faint". In this meaning we find a related word in Old Norse "lafa = to hang limply, slack".

 

Note:

     

  • Proto-Germanic . The information is limited, but the Middle Dutch, Middle Low German and Frisian word "laf = faint, weak" and Old Norse cognates "laf" and "lafa" have some common origin that just might be a Proto-Germanic "*L A F-. Besides this there has been a development with a prefix "S" that has brought diversification into more meanings, such as "slack, limp" besides a continued "weak, feeble". This indicates a second Proto-Germanic form "*SL Ă P-.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew . This Hebrew verb in the so-called intensive form has a causative meaning : " ע ל ף , ‛illèph= to cause to faint, frighten". In the passive version of this intensive, that we mentioned above, it is " ע ל ף , ullaph = to faint".

     

    For Hebrew we must refer to the case of the identical verb "alaph", that means " to wrap" and often is seen at the origin of the words of this entry . "Alaph" in the meaning of " to wrap, cover" has a sister verb " laphaph " with the same basic message . One notes that this verb does not have the initial Ayin, which would then confirm that Ayin can be used as a confirming or meaning reinforcing prefix in Hebrew . But the two identical roots may be unrelated.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. There are two basic meanings served by a root "ע ל ף , ‛alaph" . One is " to cover, wrap" and here exists also a sister root "ל פ ף , laphaph". The other meaning is the subject of this entry. Here we find a cognate in Aramaic " ע ל ף , aleph = to faint, swoon", as well as in Akkadian "elpitu = pining, exhaustion". This makes a similar root a possible hypothesis for Proto-Semitic : "*ע ל ף , Ayin, Lamed, Pé" . Seen the " P ", not "*PH" in Akkadian, Proto-Semitic had indeed " P " .

     

    Then it is important to refer again to the root without initial Ayin, be it with that other meaning of "to cover, wrap", and to the initial "GH", found in Arabic , with a different root: "ghashiya = he covered" and "ghushiya ‛alayhi = he fainted, swooned". This initial " GH " in Arabic may well correspond with a Hebrew " Ayin ". And a precious indication come from related Arabic "laghaba= was exhausted, weary", that seems to be in metathesis with the Hebrew root. This means that Proto-Semitic probably had an earlier root without initial "Ayin": "* ל ף, Lamed, Pé" , or possibly "* ל ב, Lamed, Bet".

 

Note:

     

  • Indo-European . Russian has, with an initial neutral " S ", the related word " с л а б ы й, slabŭy = weak, faint". This existed also in Old Church Slavic "slabŭ. This is a good occasion to do away with an old misconception of the etymology of the word "Slav". It is generally said that the Slavic people would have been made slaves so often, be it by Germans or Byzantium, that they received that word as a name of their people. Instead, the word for "Slave" in Russian is " с л а в я н е, slavyanye = Slave", derived from the word " с л а в, slav = glory, fame, honour". The difference between the two roots is clearly seen also in Polish, with "slaby = weak" and slawa = glory, honour". Czech is very similar. Anyway for the concept of weak we have a Slavic "*SL A B. It must be noted that in Germanic there are also words with an initial "S", like German schlaff" and Dutch "slap", but their meanings are somewhat different today: "slack, limp". Yet in for example Middle Dutch "slap also clearly meant "weak, feeble" like Slavic. This last group has a final " B " instead of a fonal " P " as in Germanic.

     

    Baltic has Lithuanian "slobstu = to become weak" and Latvian "slābs = weak,limp". This indicates a Baltic "SL Ă P- for "weak" and related meanings.

     

    Latin offers a related root, that can still be recognized in English "labile". This root is present in the verbs "labo, labare" = to reel, threaten to fall" and "labor = to stagger, collapse" and related meanings, with as basis a root saying "to be weak, feeble"" : "L Ă B-".

     

    Celtic has a related root in Old Irish "lobur = weak", with a possible Celtic L Ō B-".

     

    Indo-European probably had a form "L Ă B- and possibly a form with prefix "SL Ă P-.

 

 

 
"...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 10.38.47