E 0885          (TO)  SUP

The verb " to sup " is of Germanic origin .

H 0844         א ב ס

Concept of root: drinking excessively

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

א ב ס

sav’à;
sov’é

to drink excessively;

grain-drink

Related English words

to sup, Old English supan

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

      א ב ס

sav’à ;

-

 sov’é

to drink excessively;

graindrink

s . v (‘) .

Russian

запой

zapoy

hard drinking

z . p .(y)

English

to sup

to sup

s (u) p

German

saufen;

s(au)fen;

to drink excessively

s . (u) f

Dutch

zuipen

z(ui)pen

to drink excessively

z (ui) p

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SAWÀ, SOWÉ --- *SÜP- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The four non-English words are as good as identical in message, that is not necessarily that of drinking lots of alcoholics, but of drinking excessively or in an excessive way. Naturally the aspect of alcohol plays its role in many cases. The Hebrew word "sov’é" also meant "drunk". It sounds not much unlike Dutch "zoop" = "he drank too much". We do not know exactly what Hebrew "sov’é" was like, but the use of grain in the preparation recalls beer.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic is considered having this same root, but it may have covered also a less excessive drinking of wine .The root is found in Aramaic "ס ב א sev'à he drank wine". There are possible cognates to be found in Akkadian "sabū = sesame wine" and Arabic "sab' = wine". Proto-Semitic probably had "*ס ב , S B + accentuated vowel".

 

Note:
  • Russian seems clearly linked, but there may be a problem. To drink in Russian is a very brief verb, with a one-letter root " P ", perhaps coming from " *PI ", of "пить , pitj = to drink". Understandably "пиво , piwo" stands for "beer". There exists a prefix "за-, za-" that indicates a.o."for, after, by". There is just the possibility that our "zapoy" would be composed of this prefix and the short root of "pitj". In that case the Russian word would have a fortuitous similarity. We think this not probable, but we cannot be quite certain.

     

    This very brief root for "to drink" in Russian, recalls Greek, where the verb "πινω , pino = to drink" has a root "P" or "PI", that is also pronounced with a vowel "O" . Possibly the oldest root was "*P W", pronounced "PWO" or "PO". In fact we believe that also Russian has this same root " P " or " PI ", of which the " I " has been melted together with the suffix "itj".

 

. Note:
  • English "to sup" , though it should be related, talks about the opposite way of drinking, identical to what the verb "to sip" means. We should perhaps conclude that the right emphasis on the way of drinking for the English was fine and delicate and for continentals rude and even uncivilized ? Of course not, but the example shows how meanings of roots and words may shift in different circumstances.

 

Note:
  • Germanic . Several words are considered as related to the root of this entry. So English "to sop" and "to sup" and also "soup" that has sisters in many languages. "Supe, supen, zupe, zupen, zuype" in Middle Dutch stand for "soup, pap (also porridge)". And there are many others. But the meanings are diversified and with the limited number of sounds (letters) we have available to shape a complete language, inevitably one group of three sounds will easily be used for very different messages.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic . The Germanic root of this entry is found in further older languages. Old English "sūpan = to drink, swallow" ; Old Norse "sūpa = to drink abundantly" with also modern Norwegian "sūfan = to drink excessively"; Old High German " sūfan = to drink excessively", Middle Dutch "supen, zupen, zuypen = to drink excessively" and then Middle Low German "sūpen" for "to drink excessively". The initial consonant is "S" , in German pronounced "Z" and in Dutch also spelled "Z". The second consonant after the vowel is "P", with the exception of German that changed this into "F". The standard vowel is basically, practically always a long "Ü". In Dutch this becomes "UI" in a very common development. The verbs are strong and give forms like in Old Norse "saup, sopinn" , in Old High German "souf", Old English "sēap" and Middle Dutch "soop, zoop". "Presumably Proto-Germanic had "*S Ü P-", using other vowels in various forms .

 

. Note:
  • Indo-European There are indications just from Germanic and Slavic. They tell us that Indo-European may have had a form "*S Ū P-" or "*S Ā P-", but certainty is far off.

 

 

 

 

 
"...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: 01/01/2013 at 15.34.05