E 0182           COFA

The Old English word " cofa " is of Germanic origin .

H 0749           ה ב ק

Concept of root : small living space

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ה ב ק

qubbà

little room, alcove

Related English words

alcove, Old English cofa

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ה ב ק

qubbà

little room, alcove

q (u) b

Middle Dutch

cove

cove

small living-space

c (o) v

Old Norse

kofi

kofi

small room

k (o) f

Old English

cofa

small room

c (o) f

English

alcove

alcove

c (o) v

 

 

Proto-Semitic *QOB --- *KŎV- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The word "alcove" comes from French, that loaned it from Spanish "alcoba", and it had arrived there from Arabic "al kubbah = the vault". We do not doubt that this is exact, and of course this Arabic word is the same as the Hebrew one of this entry. Consequently the word "alcove " does not qualify as a similarity of origin fit for this list, because it is a loanword from Semitic .

 

But certainly Old English " cofa ", related to Old Norse , has followed its own independent road, with a Germanic root. And then we register a similarity with Hebrew, that also exists with Arabic.

 

Understandably, in the Bible "qubbà" also refers to spaces in tents, besides fixed constructions .

 

Note:
  • Latin "cubiculum = bedroom" and " cubile = den, lair" are related to the verb "cubare = to lie, sleep" and therefore probably not related to the words of this entry, unless ... both groups of words have a common origin, as might be supposed on the basis of another Hebrew root : ש כ ב", SH KH B" = to lie down (to rest).

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is, besides in Hebrew and Arabic, also found in Aramaic and Syriac "ק ו ב ת א, qubtà = vaulted tent". Arabic "qubbah = dome, cupola". This root was probably in use in Proto-Semitic: "*ק ו ב , Q W B " or "*ק ב, Q B ." .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. Nearly all Germanic languages have "K O-", also spelled "C O-" as in Old English. An exception is Old High German "kubisi". The second consonant, after the "O" is mostly "V", as in Nordic "kove", English "cove and Middle Low German as well as Dutch dialect "kove". Middle Dutch has "cof" besides "cove". German as often has turned "V" into "B" in Middle High German "kobe" and German "Koben". The probable Proto-Germanic form was "*K Ŏ V -".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Supposing that the Latin words that are based on the concept of "to lie", are not related to the Germanic ones that talk about a place where to stay , the comparison remains limited to Semitic and Germanic. This is in fact a very frequent occurrence.

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 21/11/2012 at 16.39.58