E 0183          COFFER

The word " coffer " is of uncertain, but Indo European origin .

H 0787             ה ס פ ו ק

Concept of root : case for transport

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ה ס פ ו ק

quphsą

box

Related English words

coffer

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ה ס פ ו ק

quphsą

box

q (u) ph s

Greek

κοφινος

kophinos

case, basket

k (o) ph

German

Koffer

koffer

suitcase, case

k (o) ff

Low German

cuffer

cuffer

suitcase, case

c (u) f . r

French

coffre

coffre

case, box, boot

c  (o) f r

Dutch

koffer

koffer

suitcase, case

k (o) f r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *QUPHSÀ --- *KŎP- Indo-European

 

 

The objects of this entry have as their use the transportation of things people need for the most various reasons, especially carrying them with them.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew . This word "quphsą" is found in Post Biblical Hebrew. Therefore some scholars suppose that it did not exist before and consequently that it has been borrowed, this time from Latin "capsa". The usual hypothesis one might say . "Capsa" meant in fact " box" or "canister" , especially for papyrus rolls.
    This Latin word has also led to English "case". Literate Jews during the Roman occupation understood Latin very well and upon loaning "capsa" would not have had any reason to change the vowel from A into U. Besides this one finds the Biblical Hebrew verb "ק פ ץ, qaphats " that means "to put together" and "to shut", two basic functions of a box . We consider it quite probable that "quphsą" is just an original Semitic word .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. The root "Q P TS" has a cognate in Syriac "ק פ ס , qephas = to put together". Arabic has "TS" like Hebrew in "qaphatsa = he put together, tied". and Akkadian has "qapātsu = to put together". The root with "TS" was probably present in Proto-Semitic: "ק פ ץ, Q P TS".

 

Note:
  • French as usual is seen at the origin of the Germanic words, that would be loanwords. And French would come from Latin. But there is no explanation why in such a loanword an R would have to be added. Interesting is that in older versions German used an U as vowel, like Hebrew. In fact the words might be related to the others, but of Germanic origin. Anyhow some uncertainty exists as to the origin within Indo European .

 

Note:
  • Latin has loaned the word from Greek as "cophinus". In modern Italian a "cofano" is the boot of a car, still for the transportation of things one may need while travelling.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The general opinion seems to be that German comes via Middle Dutch "coffer, cofer, cofere, cofre" from Old French "coffre". And also Old Norse had "kofr", in modern language "koffert". With less certainty a loan of French from Latin "cophinus", itself a loanword from Greek, is supposed. This does in no way explain the typically Germanic final "R". The simple explanation is that there was an independent Proto-Germanic "*K Ū F Ĕ R" , that lived on, as is frequently the case in the language of the Franks and in Old French as in North and West Germanic.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. The Indo-European origin, without the typical Germanic suffix " R ", sees a unit "K O P" common to Greek and Germanic, and this leads to a hypothesis of "*K Ŏ P-"

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 24/11/2012 at 16.04.44