E 0352          GAMOL

Old English " gamol " is of Germanic origin .

H 0366            ל מ ג

Concept of root : maturing

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל מ ג

gamal

to mature, become ready

Related English words

Old English gamol

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל מ ג

gamal

to mature, become ready

g . m . l

Old English

gamol

old

g . m . l

Dutch

gammel

ghammel

old, ramshackle

g . m . l

Middle Dutch

gamel, gaem

ghamel, gham

old

g . m . l

Swedish

gammal

gammal

old

g . m . l

 

 

Hebrew *GAMAL --- *GAMAL Proto-Germanic

 

 

The basic difference between Germanic and Hebrew is that the last one has kept this root to the concept of maturation, whereas Germanic has led it to the final phase of maturation. Two very normal developments on the basis of the same principle of a root.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew uses this word also for the ripening of fruit and in figurative sense. There are two other, in fact different meanings for which a root "G M L" is used. One is that of "repaying a debt". In Italian a debt is considered "mature" at its expiring date, when it has to be repaid. This may be just a cultural similarity in the use of a word indicating maturation.

     

    The second case is that of the word "camel", that comes from Semitic. Some say its reduced need of nourishment puts it on the same level as the words of this entry. We dare to say that we prefer to consider a fortuitous alikeness of the words.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. The root G.M.L. of this entry is considered related to "G.M.R.", a root with the message of "to complete", but also "to bring to an end" . If the two are akin, that means that a meaning of some "maturation" was present in a two-letter root "G-M*" . But then how can it be explained that we find the three-consonant combination "G.M.L" ( with its added L ) in both Hebrew and Germanic ?

     

    This is again one of those instances that cast doubt on the generally accepted tree-theory, according to which languages split in branches that grew further independently from each other .
    Reality must have been somewhat less clear-cut . Migrations of peoples and tribes through the millennia have not followed the patterns of trees.
    And there is more, regarding the concept of maturation and ending its cycle. We see in Hebrew a root "Q.M.L", with the concept of " to wither, fade ". This reinforces the hypothesis of a common origin between Hebrew and Germanic .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic " G M L " as a root in the sense of " to pay, reward" is found in various tongues and so is of course the root of "gamal = camel". But in the sense of "to mature" we see it in Hebrew only. Arabic "kamal = was whole, complete" and Akkadian "gitmalu = complete, perfect" are considered related , though their meanings are a bit distant. On the other hand, there is the root "*ג מ ר , G . M .R" with the messages of "to complete, perfect". Two versions, G.M.L. and G.M.R serve these same meanings and are certainly related between them. " R " and " L " can be found as alternatives in many languages.

     

    Anyhow one must conclude that Proto-Semitic thus should have had the same root as is seen in Hebrew : "*ג מ ל , G . M . L", also carrying the same meaning seen in this entry.

 

Note:
  • Scandinavian languages have the clear meaning of "old" in all senses, whereas modern Dutch and even more German has loaded this root with some negative consequences for something that is old. In English the word is out of use, like so many that are of Germanic origin.

 

Note:
  • Middle Dutch was still at the same level of development of the modern Scandinavians with this root. We make special mention of this tongue, because it has also the shorter word "gaem". We must consider this an abbreviated version that has been inspired by a comparison with other words in more versions. This shorter version anyhow has gone out of use.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The related words are, besides in North Germanic, Dutch and identical Frisian found in Old English "gamel", also "gamol" that is used also in composed words and in the verb "gamolian = to grow old". In Old High German there are place names like "Gamalberht= "Oldhill" that have the part "gamal" for "old". Old Saxon shows a verbal form "gigamalod = grown old". Probably Proto-Germanic had "*G A M A L".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. We lack information about possible cognates in other groups within Indo-European. Some words have been proposed, such as Latin "hiems = winter, storm". This word is related to Greek "χειμα, kheima = winter, storm, cold weather". Other words are Old Church Slavonic "zima", with as common a" Z " instead of " G" and Irish "gam", that probably are cognates of Latin "hiems". The semantical distance between "old" and "winter" is enormous though. We have to compare just Semitic and Germanic.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 20/10/2012 at 16.08.20