E 0569          MASS

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

H 0600         ה ס מ

Concept of root : mass

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ה ס מ

massa

mass

Related English words

mass

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ה ס מ

massa

mass

m (a) s

Greek

μαζα

maza

mass, block

m (a) z

Latin

massa

massa

mass

m (a) s

English

mass

mass

m (a) s

 

 

Hebrew *MASSÀ --- *MASSA Latin

 

 

A very clear-cut example of the common origin of Indo-European and Hebrew seems to be present in the words for "mass".

 

But this Hebrew word, be it with a double "SS", just like the Latin one, is considered to have been borrowed from Greek, in the word " μαζα , maza" , that has a "Z". This is not too clear , as Hebrew might have maintained that "Z", freely available in its alphabet, without passing to a double S : "maSSa" upon loaning the word. Let us look into some further aspects.

 

First of all, it is generally accepted that the Greek word "maza" is one word with two very different meanings . First it says "paste" and "dough". In this first meaning it would be related to the Greek verb "massein= to knead". Then it also stands for "barley-bread" or "barley-cake" in contrast with "artos" that stands for "wheat-bread ". This sounds fair enough , though it is quite unclear why there is a contrast with normal bread . A somewhat comparable reasoning is set up for Latin, that does not have the relative verb though but is considered a loanword from Greek. Oddly "commasso = to heap up".

 

The problem is that all this does not explain the origin of the second not less important meaning of the Greek and Latin words, as well as the Hebrew and English ones, the one presented in this entry: "block, mass , quantity of (decidedly never kneaded material like) rock, stones, metal". For these reasons we are not in a hurry to exclude a common origin without borrowing .

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. We have anyhow no information that would allow a hypothesis for Proto-Semitic.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 08/11/2012 at 12.15.39