E 0934          (TO)  TOTTER

The verb " to totter " is, via Middle Dutch, of Germanic origin .

H 0835           ט ט ר ; ת ת ר

Concept of root : trembling for fright

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ט ט ר , ת ת ר

ט ט ר , ת ת ר

retet,  retheth;  

   ratat, rittet, rathath, ritheth

fright;

to tremble

-

Related English words

to totter

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ת ת ר ,
ט ; ט ר

ת ת ר ,
ט ט ר

retet, retheth;

-

ratat, rittèt, rathath, ritheth

fright;

-

to tremble

-

r . t . t < *r . t

-

r . th . th < *r . th

Dutch

rats;

touteren

rats;

t(ou)teren

fright;

to tremble , shudder with fear

r . t s ;

t . t . r

Old English

tealtrian

to tremble, waggle

t . (l) t r

English

to totter

to totter

t . t . r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *RATH, *RAT --- *RĂTS Dutch

 

 

The meanings are the same, the roots are built of R’s and T’s, but the sequence is not identical. There seem to be no corresponding words in other Indo-European languages. Old English " tealtrian" for "to tremble, waggle" has trailed off a bit. All in all it is doubtful if there has been a common origin for Hebrew "retet" and Dutch "touteren".

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew offers here a very interesting example of the relationship between the two letters Tav and Thet: "ת " and " ט " or " T " and " TH ". We see two versions of the same word, with the same message, " ר ת ת, retet" and " ר ט ט, retheth".

     

    In modern language no difference is heard between the pronunciation of these two letters. In the past there has been. We know that the Greeks distinguished between their "τ = T "and "θ = TH ". They received the letters via the Phoenicians from Ancient Hebrew and adopted their use and names. "Tav" became "Tau" and "Thet" became "Thèta". They had different sounds, but also here the distinction has disappeared in modern Greek. One notes that the Ten Commandments had been written centuries earlier.

 

Note:
  • Dutch "touteren" is much further off than "rats". It has been loaned into English as "to totter" , that has abandoned the aspect of fear that was and is present in Dutch. At the same time Old English " tealtrian " has disappeared from use .

     

    The Hebrew "fear" in "retet" instead remains really linked to "trembling with fear".

     

    The word "rats" in Dutch has no etymological explanation. There is a similar one, "rats" that is an rather new abbreviated loanword from French "ratatouille", that means a kind of mixed food of available things, potatoes and possibly various vegetables and meat. Another meaning is that of some fast movement and this like the others has nothing to do with our "rats = fear".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. The root "ר ט ט , R . TH . TH" with the meanings of "trembling" and "panic", is also found in Aramaic "ר ט ט , rethath" and there is no reason to suppose that it has been taken from there into Hebrew. The root "ר ת ת , R T T" , saying " fright", but also "agitation" and "rage", and also " to boil", is present in Aramaic "ר ת ת , retat "and Syriac "ר ת , R T" rat", both meaning "he trembled". It is difficult to make a precise hypothesis, but probably Proto-Semitic had both "*ר ת, R T" and "*ר ט , R TH ", but also already their lengthened versions may well have been present already in Proto-Semitic.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 27/11/2012 at 11.13.40