E 0590          MINT,  MONEY

The word " money " is, via Old French, of Latin origin .

H 0592            ה נ מ

Concept of root : counting (to define)

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ה נ מ

manà;

manà;

minnà;

mané

to count, number, reckon;

to portion, share;

to assign, appoint, allot;

a unit of money or weight

Related English words

money

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ה נ מ

manà;

-

-

manà;

-

minnè;

-

-

mané

-

-

to count, number, reckon;

to share, portion;

to assign, appoint, allot

minà ( a unit of money or weight)

m . n

Greek

μονας

monas

unit of measure

m . n

Latin

moneta

mint ;

money

m . n

English

money

money

m . n

 

 

Proto-Semitic *MANÀ --- *MŌN- Indo-European

 

 

If there is anything that is counted in this world, it is money. Therefore one would expect the Latin word "moneta" and its successors (f.e. English "money") to be related to this Hebrew root. We will come to this, but first we must remark the following.

 

Quite a few experts, amongst whom classic scholars, have thought that Latin "moneta" has been derived from the name of a temple on the Roman Capitolium hill, named Juno Moneta, and in which the Roman mint came to be established. Antique deities received many titles, and this specific one for Juno should mean "She who warnes". Once minting took place there, the product would have received, acquired the name "moneta".

 

Others object validly by saying that words ending on "-eta" sound Greek and that this specific title for Juno comes from some Greek word that is not referred to in important dictionaries. We fear that all this does not work well, but the comparison with Hebrew, also in the previous entry, helps us out of this Indo-European problem.

 

In fact some people say that "moneta" comes from the Phoenicians, that spoke a sister-language of Hebrew. A word "monat" is not known in Hebrew, but the words "manà" and "menat", both of the same root of this entry, mean "portion", like "a unit" , that basically has been assigned or measured. And with that we are very near Greek "monas". If a loan has taken place, that does not support the idea of similarity through common origin with separate development. We still consider the matter uncertain but have inserted the words "moneta" and "money" in our table.

 

 

Note:
  • Greek "monas" is related to a root "M N", probably originally "M W N" with the W between the other consonants pronounced as O : "MON", and especially found in the world-wide important word "μονος , monos" meaning "single, alone" that is found in so many English words beginning with "mono-". The version "monas" also says "solitary, isolated", but its more important message is the one we give in this entry : "unit of measure", but also "one, unit ". This may well be related to Hebrew "manà" that refers to counting, assigning (f.e. value to a unit) and establishing.

 

Note:
  • English "money" is seen as derived, via Old French "moneie" ( French " monnaie " ) from Latin "moneta", though it is not clear why the T has been abolished from both pronunciation and spelling. The famous painter "Monet" has his name pronounced like "monnaie", but he had an unpronounced written final T in it.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is found in Aramaic and Syriac " מ נ א , menà = he counted, numbered". Arabic has a perhaps related "manā = he assigned, appointed". Akkadian "manū = to count, number" and "mīnu = to assign". Proto-Semitic and Hebrew are seen as having the same roots here, as in many cases. It must be noted that for verbs that have the past forms with an " I ", like in this case "maniti" = "I counted", that "I" or "yod" is commonly considered as a third consonant of the root. This is probably not the best definition, as it has no consonantial function in the shape of the verbal form. The original root, used in most forms, remains anyhow "M . N", for Proto-Semitic "* מ נ ה , M . N . H (accentuated vowel)".

 

Note:
  • Modern Hebrew has also the noun " מ ו נ ה , moné" that is a "counter" or a "time" (as in two, three times). Consequently a taxi in Israel is called a "mońt".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. With the available information Indo-European can be seen with an original "*M Ō N-" for "to count".

 

 

 

 
"...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: 27/12/2012 at 17.14.59