E 0722          REIN

The word " rein " comes from Old French, with undefined  further origin .

H 0827             ן ס ר

Concept of root : reins

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ן ס ר

resen

reins

Related English words

rein, from French

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

      ן ס ר

resen

rein(s)

r . s . n

Old French

resne

resne

rein

r . s n .

French

rênes

rèn

reins

r . n

 

 

Proto-Semitic *RESEN --- *RESNE Old French

 

 

We cannot feel full of certainty in this particular case of similarity. We share some doubts with others, that are not sure this French word "rênes" has been derived from Latin. It certainly comes from Old French "resne", that has simply a root "R S N" identical to the Hebrew one R S N . And they both carry the same specific specialized meaning. What better can we want for similarity ?

 

But other Neo-Latin languages have a D or T in their root, like Italian "redina, redine", Spanish "rienda" . Latin itself did not have such a word, but had constructed on the basis of the verb "retinere = retain" a word "retinaculum" that stood for "any kind of bind or rope", and if made of leather a reticula also was a shoelash or even a rein for a horse. On this basis a Late-Latin word "*retina" has been supposed, not quite without reason, because in Sicilian this word actually exists, with a T instead of Italian D in "redina". Consequently this "*retina" should have been the basis for the modern words for reins for a horse.

 

Scholars do not automatically include our French word in the series of Neo-Latin. And though it is hard to say how this old root, existing in Hebrew, lived on into French, we cannot exclude a common origin. Many words have unclear etymologies, and some sources of Old French may lack written testimony.

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. The modern intensive verb "rissèn" with the same root says, like Latin "retenere" : "to retain" and also means " to brake", the meanings of "to bridle, to curb" have been maintained as well.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is there in Aramaic "ר ס נ א, risen'à = bridle". Akkadian risnēti = bridles". We do not believe that Arabic "rasan = bridle " is a loanword from "Aramaic "risen'à", as some say. Proto-Semitic probably used this root :"*ר ס ן , R S N". In the comparison we left the vowels as used in the Biblical Hebrew noun.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 31/12/2012 at 16.24.44