E 0928          TOLERANT , TOLERATE

The words " tolerant " and " tolerate " are  of Latin origin .

H 0661            ל ט נ

Concept of root : to handle a weight

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל ט נ

nathal, nitthèl;

nitthèl

to heave, lift, impose;

toto lift, carry

Related English words

to tolerate, from Latin

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל ט נ

-

ל ט נ

nathal, nitthèl;

nitthèl

to heave, lift, impose;

tolift, carry

n . th . l

Greek

τλαω;

-

-

Ατλας

tlao

-

-

Atlas

to support, bear, tolerate;

he who supports the world

t . l

Latin

tollere;

-

-

tolerare

tollere

-

-

tolerare

to lift, heave, carry off;

to carry,

to tolerate

t . l

English

to tolerate;

tolerant

to tolerate ;

tolerant

t . l

Dutch

tillen

tillen

to lift

t . l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *NATHAL < *THOL --- *TEL-, *TOL- Indo-European

 

 

The concepts of "heavy" and "to heave" are related in sound and meaning. In this Hebrew root that also gives a word "nethel = weight". The handling of something that weighs is expressed in various forms, such as lifting, taking away and also imposing something on somebody else. In modern language it is also used to indicate the concept of weightlessness, but this in combination with another root meaning "to weigh" : "netul mishqal" . We must conclude that the meaning of "to impose" has followed a different iter and that the main road is that of "to lift, heave, take off, take away". This is also found in the European component of this entry.

 

The initial N is found only in Hebrew, and once more we suppose that this N is originally a confirming prefix, as very often is the case. There are some practical indications for this, as in the word "ת ל א ה , tela’à = toil", " ת ל ו ל , talul = elevated"

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is seen in Aramaic " נ ט ל, nethal= he lifted" and Syriac " נ ט ל , nethal = was weighty, heavy", in a related meaning. The root may have been present in Proto-Semitic "* נ ט ל, N TH L". With the initial " N " seen as a confirming prefix, an older "* ט ל, TH L" , with a pronunciation common for this kind of old roots as "THOL", probably has been in use in Proto-Semitic.

 

Note:
  • Dutch and Proto-Germanic. Dutch "tillen" has all those meanings we find for Hebrew "nathal", with the exception of "to impose", that anyhow either is a derived meaning or has a probably different origin. A special aspect is its use for " to cheat", which it shares with Hebrew " ת ל ל , talal ", with a root that does not seem to far away from "nathal". See entry GD 1110 (Hebrew 0967) with a comparable development.

     

    This Dutch word "tillen" seems to have no sisters in other Germanic languages, except in Old Frisian "tilla" with the same meaning. So we have no information that would allow a direct hypothesis for Proto-Germanic. All the same there are many cognates with what can be considered figurative meanings of Latin "tollere, tolerare, tuli": "to bear, endure, suffer, tolerate", as in English "to thole", with its cognates in many Germanic languages. One must note German and Dutch "dulden" with a doubling of the "D" and the use of the vowel "U".

 

Note:
  • Greek leaves no doubt about the fact that "tlao" is of the same origin as our Latin, Dutch and of course Hebrew roots. But it does not emphasize that same specific aspect of "to lift", Instead it deals with the consequence of having lifted something heavy. This was certainly the case of Atlas, whose name says that he had taken the World on his shoulders. Yet "to lift" can be recognized in the composite verb ανατελλω, anatello = to make rise, to lift oneself, get up". Then, interestingly, the verb τολμαω, tolmao has two quite different messages, one that of "to have courage, dare" and the other that of "to tolerate, resist, endure".

     

    We find the same root in the beginning of the Odyssea : "Tell me, Muse, about the Man , who travelled so much, Odysseus , noble and "πολυτλας , polütlas" = "who has had to bear so much ". Here a figurative meaning has developed.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. There can be little doubt that a combination "T + vowel + L" with a message of carrying and probably also lifting existed in Indo-European and found its way into Latin, Greek, Old Frisian and Dutch. But there is more .

     

    Old Indian "tuyalati = to lift, weigh". And older forms have a vowel "O".

     

    Tocharian "tlässi = to lift, carry.

     

    Indo-European . The existing hypothesis of "*T E L-" is less convincing than "*T O L-" , as vowels "U" and "O" are found in many branches. The meanings were "to lift, to carry, to bear" as well as in all probability figurative meanings like "to tolerate, endure".

 

 

 

 

 
"...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: Thursday 7 February 2013 at 16.03.06