E 0199          COVER

The word " cover " is, via Old French, of Latin oprigin .

H 0500        ר פ כ

Concept of root : to cover

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ר פ כ

kippèr

to cover

Related English words

cover

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ר פ כ

kippèr

to cover

k . p . r

Latin

cooperire;

operire

cooperire;

operire

to cover

k . p . r;

(o)  p . r

Italian

coprire

coprire

to cover

c . p r

English

to cover

to cover

c . v r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *KAPER < *PER --- K-OPER- Latin < *OPER- < *VER Indo-European

 

 

This similarity may seem at first sight simple and straightforward, but it is not. In both Hebrew and Latin the basic similarity lies not so much in the three-consonant-roots, but rather in the two-consonantal origin "P R". But this similarity may in part be of more recent formation. The situation is nicely complicated and conclusions are difficult to establish.

 

 

Note:
  • Latin. The standing view is that "cooperire" is formed by adding a prefix "co-" to "operire", developing the meaning perhaps from "to cover" into "to fully cover". The verb "operire" has a pendant in the verb "aperire", that means "to open", but also "to uncover". These two words are seen as having their prefixes, respectively "ob" and "ab", added to an older verb "*werio". This last verb is a hypothetical one, not found in reality.

 

Note:
  • Latin and Hebrew. If the theory of the last paragraph is right, the similarity seems to disappear, because Hebrew has the K-sound as the first of the three consonants in the root, whereas older Latin in hypothetical "*werio" does not have that K-sound at all. Therefore we have taken a closer look at Hebrew.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. We find a number of words in Hebrew, that deal with the concept of "to cover" or "to uncover", without having an initial K-sound, but with "P R" in them . It should be pointed out that the basic form of "kippèr", that sounds "kaphar", means "to spread a layer", an action that may lead or not lead to covering or fully covering. "Kippèr" in fact is the more intensive form that means the complete action of "to cover". This brings us a development not so far from that in Latin, where "operire ( to cover)" became "cooperire (to fully cover)". Only in Hebrew the K-sound was already present in "kaphar". The Hebrew words we refer to are : "כ פ ר ת , kaporet , cover", "א פ ר , aphèr , blindfold", "מ פ ר ש , mipheras , layer, veil", "ע פ ר , aphar , plaster", "צ פ ר ה , tsephira , crown", "ש פ ר י , shapheri , canopy, baldachin", And, especially interesting is "ח פ ר , ghaphar" , because it says amongst other things "to uncover", thus joining fate with Latin "aperio".

     

    This all indicates that there may have been an older two consonant root "* פ ר , P . R " with a meaning in the range of "covering" and "uncovering". In older language roots sometimes indicate change in a situation or changing action, without specifying the direction of that change.

 

Note:
  • Yom Kippur , Yiddish "Yom Kipper", the holiest Jewish holiday, on the tenth day of the month of "Tishri", is the "Day of Atonement". The word "Kippur" is a form of the verb of this entry, a participle with a figurative meaning of "kippèr".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root can be found in various languages, with meanings that are considered related, like those of " to cover, to wash off, to forgive, to atone. "To cover", supposed to be the original message of this root, is anyhow present, besides in Hebrew, in Aramaic.

     

    There we find, like in Syriac, "כ פ ר , kephar = he covered, cleaned"

     

    Aramaic also shows the same three consonant root "כ פ ר ", with the pronunciation "kappèr = he atoned, forgave, expiated".

     

    There is an Arabic cognate "ghafara = he covered, forgave". Interesting is that Arabic for these same meanings also has a root " Ayin . P " in "'afa ".

     

    A comparable situation is seen in Akkadian, with "kapāru, kuppuru = to wipe off; to expiate".

     

    The root of this entry was in all probability in use in Proto-Semitic "*כ פ ר , K P R". It is difficult to be certain about the various vowels Proto-Semitic may have used, but the combination "A - E" is well possible.

     

    Then referring to the Note on Hebrew, the indication of an older two consonant root is especially valid for the period of Proto-Semitic, that thus may have had a root "* פ ר , P . R " with a meaning in the range of "covering" and "uncovering". In older language roots sometimes indicate change in a situation or changing action, without specifying the direction of that change.

 

Note:
  • Latin. The reason why for Latin the supposed older word begins with a " W " or " V " lies in the fact that this letter or sound is found in other Indo-European languages. This might mean that in this case a Semitic " P " corresponds with an Indo-European " W ", that can interchange with " O ".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European . Old Indian. Rather comparable with Latin, offers an interesting couple of verbs. "apa-vrnóti = opens, uncovers" and "api-vernóti= closes, covers ". The basic part, without the prefixes, "vrnóti = closed, covered". So the basic meaning here was not a neutral one, indicating the changing between opened and closed or vice versa, but specifically meant the situation of "covered, closed". The consonant " N " is an infix of neutral character.

     

    Baltic. Old Prussian gives two informations with "et-werrei = open! (imp.)" and "etwiriuns = opened (part.)". Lithuanian "ātwiras = open" and the simple verb "vérti = to open, to close. This teaches us that the Indo-European original root may yet have been that neutral one that indicates a "operating a change in the situations of being open or being closed"!. In older human speech this phenomenon is more often found. A root may mean "to rise, descend" or "to come, go" . Later either the meaning is specialized or prefixes can be added for specification.

     

    Slavic. Old Church Slavonian has "(za)vrèti = to close" and "ot-voriti = to open". This is more comparable to the situation in Old Indian.

     

    On the basis of the available information an Indo-European form "OV E R- or "OP E R-", anyhow < V E R-, seems probable, certainly for both meanings of "to cover, to close" and "to uncover, open". It is uncertain if versions with prefixes had come into use, be it for "to cover, close" and/or "to uncover, open".

     

    As to the more general and older "combined" meaning of "to open, to close" , it is interesting that this root has given words for "door": Old Prussian "warto", Lithuanian vartai, Old Church Slavonian "vrata, that all have added a "T", something also found in Latin "porta", but not in related Oscan "veru = door". Doors typically serve for "opening" as well as for "closing".

     

    With this there is a possible explanation, how Latin came to change from "V" into "P", that probably at least in this case was caused by the prefixes "ab-" and "ob-": "abverio > aperio" and "obverio > operio".

     

 

 

 

 

 
"...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: 25/01/2013 at 15.28.03