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E 0040 ANSWER
The word "answer" is of Germanic origin
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H 0157 ה נ ע
Concept of root : answer
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ה נ ע
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‛anà
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to
answer
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Related English words
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answer,
Old English andwyrde, andswaru
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Comparison between European words and
Hebrew
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Languages
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Words
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Pronunciation
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English meanings
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Similarity in roots
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Hebrew
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ה נ ע
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‛anà
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to answer
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׳a n i
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Greek
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αντα;
απανταω
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anta;
apantao
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in front of; to answer
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a n t
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Old English
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andwyrde, andswaru
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answer
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a n d
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English
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answer
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answer
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a n s
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German
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antworten
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antworten
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to answer
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a n t
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Dutch
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antwoord
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antwoort
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answer
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a n t
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Proto-Semitic *‛ANA, *‛ANI- --- *ANT- Indo-European
This is one of two entries on the same combination. The other one , GR 1123 (Hebrew 0156) has no English cognate and deals with a form of speaking in front of somebody, that of making a declaration . The one of this entry now deals with another form of speaking when in front of somebody else , answering him. Obviously in English, but more clearly in German and Dutch, the term "word " has been added to make the diversification clearer.
Note:
- Greek. The word "anti" is well known in modern languages, especially as a prefix in loanwords from Greek. "Anta" is strictly connected with it and their meanings overlap somewhat. "Anti" often indicates a counter-position. As such it has become a very alive English prefix, in words as anti-European, anti-American etc.. In the verb "apantao", the root is the central part, with "ap-" being a prefix, meaning "off-".
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. Proto-Semitic already used the same root "* ע
נ
ה , anà ", and perhaps also a different one, that often is seen as either the original or an additional root " *
ע
נ
י , ani ". The vowel " I " is found in a number of verbal forms in Hebrew and probably is as such an additional sound that was not part of the original root. But opinions differ on this.
- Proto-Semitic anyhow had the root without final "Yod" : "*ע
נ
ה, as cognates with meanings regarding speaking and especially answering are present in various Semitic languages, such as Aramaic "‛an'à= to answer" and Syriac "‛en'à= to answer" : "ע
נ
א (with final Aleph instead of Hé)" and Ugaritic "ע
נ
י" ( with yet a final "Yod"), also meaning "to answer".
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. The first word part, "ant-", "and-" or "ond-" is found in many older and newer Germanic languages, always combined with a second word part in which not always "word" or its cognates can be recognized. In North Germanic and English we see "-svar", "-swer" and similar forms, as in Old Swedish "andsvar, ansvar". In West Germanic we have Old Saxon "answurdi", Old High German "antwurti", Old English "andwyrde". Old Norse has both "andyrdi" and "andsvar". German and its predecessors in a normal local development changed the AND-" into "ANT". In all probability Proto-Germanic had "*A ND W O RD" or "*A ND W U RD".
Note:
- Indo-European. Understandably, the Germanic words that are composed of a prefix meaning "in front of" and a Germanic noun saying "word", as such have no predecessor in Indo-European. But the prefix is found, besides in "Latin "ante" and Greek "anti", also in Old Indian "anti" = "in front of, before (place)". Indo-European probably had "A NT -", possibly with a vowel " I " or " E " after it. The same combination "ANT-" was probably used in terms of time.
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 01/10/2012 at 16.37.33 |
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