E 0028         AMICABLE

The word "amicable" comes from Late Latin

H 0151           ת י מ ע

Basic concept of root : companion

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ת י מ ע

‛amit

friend, companion

Related English words

amicable , amicus (curiae)

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ת י מ ע

‛amit

friend, companion

‛a m i

Latin

amicus

amicus

friend

 a m i

English

amicable ;

amicus (curiae)

amicable ; amicus (curiae)

a m i c ;

 

 

Proto-Semitic *‛AMIT --- *AMICUS Latin

 

 

Both Latin and Hebrew indicate here a person who is a companion one likes. To express this they have added an "I" plus a suffix to the root that meant a community of people, like a tribe. Normally one sticks together with the companions of one’s tribe and likes them.

 

Both Latin "-cus" and Hebrew "t" are suffixes that form adjectives easily used in the way of substantives. We find interesting that the letter "I" is used in the two languages for the creation of the adjective. Though not too far from this we see in English "Y", pronounced as a vowel in words like "trendy" and many others.

 

To avoid misunderstandings we point out that in continental West Germanic instead we will find this suffix as "-ig". English tends to eliminate a final "G" or "K", like in the briefest but significant word "I", the nominative of "ME". Anyhow Germanic "-IG" is much like Latin "-IC" in "amicus".

 

Note:
  • English uses the Latin word "amicus" as it is in the expression " amicus curiae " or " friend of the court", that indicates an independent court adviser .

 

Note:
  • Hebrew
      This Hebrew word has been derived from " ע ם", a root of two consonants
    .
  • Hebrew
      also has the brief word " ע ם, ‛am= kinsman, relative" with that two consonant root that gives words also for " people, nation" . This was a root undoubtedly present in Proto-Semitic.

     

  • Aramaic has the cognate word " ע מ י ת א , ‛amit'à" with the same meaning and in Akkadian one finds "emūtu", meaning"family, company".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic already used the two consonant root "* ע ם , Ayin M ", from which also the word of this entry has been developed. See also entry E 0057 (Hebrew 0152) with the same word.

     

    There are cognates of our word "‛amit" in Aramaic and Akkadian, as shown in the previous Note. Probably Proto-Semitic used as well an extended root " * ע מ ת , Ayin Mem Tav" , still present in Hebrew.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 01/10/2012 at 15.13.55