E 0867         (TO)  SPROUT , FRUIT

The words " to sprout " and " fruit " are of Germanic origin .

H 0712            ח ר פ

Concept of root : to sprout, bud

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ח ר פ

paragh;

peragh

to bud, sprout;

flower

Related English words

 to sprout , fruit

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ח ר פ

paragh;

-

peragh

to bud, sprout;

flower

p . r . gh

Latin

frux, gen.:

frugis

frux,

frugis

produce ;

fruit

f . r . g

English

to sprout ;

fruit

to sprout ;

fruit

sp r . t

Old English

spryttan

to sprout

sp r . t

German

Frücht; sprossen

frükht

fruit ;

to sprout

f . r . kht ;

sp r . s

Old High German

fruht

fruht

fruit

f . f . ht

Dutch

vrucht ;

spruiten
fruit

vrûght ,

spr(ui)ten
fr(ui)t

fruit ;

to sprout
fruit

v . r . ght ;

sp r . t

 

 

Proto-Semitic *PARAGH --- *FRŪHT - Proto-Germanic < *PRŪG- Indo-European

Proto-Semitic *PARAGH --- *SPRŪT- Proto-Germanic < *SPRŪG- Indo-European

 

 

This entry is strictly related to number E 0332 (Hebrew 0711). They deal with parts of a typical series of Hebrew three-consonant-roots, built on the basis of an older two-consonant-root, in this case "*P R". We see here two different groups of Germanic words , both related to the same Hebrew root . One has the English word " fruit ", the other " to sprout " .

 

Regarding the word " fruit ", once more we encounter, with this entry, a current view we have to look into . This view is that the Germanic words for "fruit" have been derived from Latin "fructus". First of all, the logic word from which to derive something is one that has the meaning in question, in our case that of "produce , fruit". Latin "fructus " is a participle, that first of all says "enjoyment, perusal". In the second place it meant "harvest, income", referring probably to the perusal of fields. Finally also as fruit from trees. Besides it had figurative messages of "profit, advantage, result". For "produce, fruit" the Latin word was "frux, frugis", mentioned above. Anyhow, even if the above mentioned Germanic would be loanwords, the similarity of Latin with Hebrew would stand out.

 

Interesting the word "peragh", confirming that flowers prepare fruits and are in an earlier phase of development of the fruitbearing process.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. There is the hypothesis of a root "*P R Aleph", with a supposed pronunciation that has a vowel "I" between the P and R. Such an I is found in the Akkadian noun "pirghu = sprout", but not in the verb "paraghu = to sprout, "which has two "A"'s . The sound we here indicate as "GH", in fact is different, and is considered to be like Scotch "ch" in "loch". In this case it is also present in Arabic "faragha = it sprouted, germinated" . This is not too far from the " GH " of Hebrew and others. The probable Proto-Semitic root is the same we already see continued into Hebrew : "*פ ר ח , P . R . GH ". In our comparison we present two vowels " A ".

 

Note:
  • Latin "frux" has not been derived from the verb "fruor = to enjoy, peruse". The two words are related , as seen from the participle of this medio-passive verb, that is "frusus sum" with older "fruitus sum" and oldest "fructus sum".

 

Note:
  • Germanic languages undoubtedly had their word for "fruit". The supposition is that with Latin horticulture also terminologies were loaned. But the German word "Frücht" and its sisters have the same meaning as "frux, frugis", not that of "fructus". Secondly, if for example Old High German would have been loaned from Latin, the loanword would have been "frucht", and not in the typical way for old Germanic words "fruht" with the feebler H-sound. We must suppose that the Germanic words are of Germanic origin.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. As already seen, it is obvious that Germanic languages had an original own name for the product "fruit", with the exception of English that had its loan from Old French. In older languages there are Old Saxon and Old High German "fruht" , Old Frisian "frucht" , Old Norse "fruktr, fryktr", Middle Dutch "vrucht, vrocht" and Middle Low German " vrucht". Proto-Germanic probably had "*FR Ū HT".

     

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The second Germanic root of this entry, seen in English " to sprout " has that characteristic development of an added initial S , together of course with the use of one vowel instead of the two we see in Hebrew . Related to English "to sprout" older Germanic languages give the following information. Old Saxon "sprūtan", Old Frisian "sprūta", Old English "spryttan", Old Norse "spretta". Proto-Germanic may have had "*SPR Ū T-".

 

Note:
  • English "fruit" certainly has come from French "fruit", that together with Italian "frutta" comes from Latin, but not from the participle "fructus". A newer form fruitus was shaped in Latin and this simply gave birth to the French and therewith English nouns. This emphasizes once more that "Frücht" could not have been loaned from "fructus".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Greek. It is just possible that the Greek word " α σ π α ρ α γ ο ς, asparagos is related to the words of this entry. English "asparagus" comes via Latin from this Greek word. But it means also "sprout" of a plant. Etymologically it is seen as derived from a verb "σ π α ρ γ α ω, spargao". We believe it has the same root, even if it is based upon this verb, that means "to be swollen, full" a situation that may lead to sprouting, but is far from identical to that phenomenon in plants. It must be noted that this Greek verb sounds like, but has a very different meaning from Latin "spargere = to strew, scatter, sprinkle".

     

    Old Indian has a word "sphūrjati = sprouts, appears" and Avestan "(fra)sparega = sprout". In Baltic one sees Lithuanian spùrgas = sprout".

     

    Consequently we see, all with an initial " S " followed by "PR" and a vowel in the category "U / O", from Greek, Old Indian, Avestan and Baltic a final " G ", against Germanic with a final "T". The explanation is simple. Germanic has added that "T", that has then absorbed the guttural. Indo-European probably had a "*SPR Ū G-. But also a form without the initial "S" must have been present: "*PR Ū G-.

 

 

 

 

 
"...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: 29/12/2012 at 15.54.57