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E 0763 SCABIES, SCEORF
The word " scabies " is a
loanword from Latin .
Old English " sceorf " is of
Germanic origin .
H 0373 ב
ר
ג
Concept of root : scabies
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ב ר ג
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garav
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scabies
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Related English words
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scabies . Old English: sceorf
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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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ב ר ג
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garav
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scabies
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g . r . b
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Latin
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scabies
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scabies
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scabies
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sc . b
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English
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scabies
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scabies
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sc . b
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Old English
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sceorf
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scabies
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sc . r f
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Middle Dutch
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schorf
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sghorf
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scabies
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sgh . r f
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Norwegian
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skurv
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skurv
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scabies
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sk . r v
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Proto-Semitic *GARAB --- *SKŬRP- Indo-European
European languages begin this word with an S that lacks in Hebrew. We know that this happens rather frequently especially in Germanic: an S is added in front, perhaps to emphasize speech, but basically without changing the message of the root. Then in Latin lacks the R we find in Hebrew and Germanic.
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. This same root is present in Aramaic and Syriac "ג ר ב א , garewa; garebbà = itch, scab". Akkadian "garā", Tigre "garbēb;" and Arabic "jarab ( G having become J)", all carry the same meaning. Proto-Semitic probably used this root we find in Hebrew : "*ג ר ב , G R B ".
The change of the pronunciation of the third consonant " B " into " V " hardly could have begun in Proto-Semitic, as the " B " is still present in several languages. Interesting is to see that Syriac still used the original " B ", while Aramaic and Hebrew had changed to " V ".
Note:
- Latin has also the verb "scabere" that says "to scratch". The itch to scratch is great when one has scabies. Anyhow, also Hebrew has a verb like this with the root "G R PH". See entry number E 0387 (Hebrew 0376) . Generally the noun "scabies" is seen as derived from the verb "scabere". But it must be noted that "scabo" does not only mean "to scratch", but also "to chafe, to graze, to smooth, to rub", including actions with quite different characteristics and intentions than "to scratch". As such Latin "scabere" has cognates in Germanic languages, as Old Saxon "scaban" and Old English "sceafan". And, with vowel " O ", also in Slavic and Baltic.
Note:
- German and Dutch. In Modern Dutch a T has been added without a change of meaning and the noun for scabies has become "schurft". Old High German "scorf" and Middle High German "schorf" have been abandoned and modern German uses only "Schorf" for a scratch of the skin. In Germanic we have not found a verb corresponding with the mentioned nouns. This is an indication that the noun has not be shaped after an action expressed by a verb, but after an independent phenomenon that had to be described by a noun.
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. There is a common diversification of the sounds of the first consonant in the Germanic languages, from "SK" in Norwegian "skurv", "SH" in German "Schorf" and "SGH" in Dutch "schurft". The following vowel is mostly a short "U", sometimes pronounced a bit like the "U" in "pup". But in German we find an "O", also principally present in Middle Dutch , besides "sceurf". Middle English had "sceorf", but also "scurf". The final couple of consonants is "RF", besides in modern Scandinavian languages that have "RV". Presumably Proto-Germanic had "*SK Ŭ RF-".
Note:
- Indo-European. The similarity between Latin "scabies", that has no central "R" in it, on the one hand and Hebrew "garav, garaph" and Germanic "skurf" on the other hand is limited. This happens rather often: similarity between Germanic and Hebrew, lacking or reduced if compared with other Indo-European groups.
With the uncertainty about the origin of Latin "scabies", the question can be asked if the initial "S" was already present in Indo-European. Seen the considerable number of words that begin with "SK-" or the likes and have somewhat related meanings, it is possible that the "SK" was there already o has been developed in Indo-European, perhaps as : "*SK Ŭ RP".
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 23/01/2013 at 17.55.44 |
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