GG 1118          ZERREN

H 0883            ר ו ש

Concept of root : quarrel and fight

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ר ו ש

ה ר ש

sor;

sarà

to quarrel, fight, contend

Related English words

none

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ר ו ש

ה ר ש

sor;

sarà

to quarrel, fight, contend

s (o) r

s . r .

Old High German

zeran ;

-

zerren

tseran ;

-

tserren

to fight, tear apart;

to tear apart

ts . r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SOR,*SARÀ --- *ZĒR- Proto-Germanic

 

 

Fighting can be preceded by quarrelling verbally and also by verbally harrying or pestering, as to provoke. Fighting may lead to "tearing apart". The Hebrew root in this entry comprises quarreling and (resulting ?) fighting. The Germanic one has followed various roads.

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew shows here a frequent phenomenon. A couple of consonants, in this case " S " + " R ", can be observed in two different roots, that serve the same meaning: " to fight, contend". One of the two has a vowel " O ", shaping "S O R". The other uses an extended form, with an accentuated vowel arfter the " R ".

     

    The vowel " O ", much later, also long after the introduction of alphabetic writing, received a "reading-help" as the letter "Waw". The accentuated final vowel as well received a reading help, a letter "Hé".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. German does not show us to what extent the fighting of "zeran" was violent or verbal. But the violence jumps forward with the second meaning of "to tear apart" . Uncertain is if this was expressed at first only by the verb "zerren" with the double R, or rightaway by "zeran". The Old High German word "zeran = to fight" seems rather isolated and the proposed etymologies are little convincing . The element of "fight, conflict" lacks in the other words like modern German "zehren = to consume" and again modern German "zerren" that sounds identical to Old High German, but has the quite differend meaning of "to draw, pull". In the composed verb "verzerren" after a Middle High German "to tear apart" there is modern "to deform".

     

    Middle Low German developed also a version "zergen" with nearly the same "sarren" = to tease, badger, provoke" with an accent on the intention of provoking, but if this is related, it is a bit further off. It is also found in Norwegian "terge" and Dutch "tergen" and the original root probably had an initial T. See also Entry E 0582 (Hebrew 0863).

     

    Considering the older words and their meanings, a hypothesis of Proto-Germanic "*Z Ē R-" with a message of fighting and conflict may be right, be it with a not too high degree of probability.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. There is not much evidence , but Arabic "shara(y) = he contended" may well be related. This means that Proto-Semitic may have used the two consonant root "*ש ר, sor, sar.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. There are some proposed cognates that are doubtful. Old Church Slavonic "dĭrati = to tear up", Old Indian "drnāti = he splits", Lithuanian " dirti = to skin" are too far off. Greek "dero, deiro, obviously related to Lithuanian, also means "to skin", but then has as a second derived meaning " to beat up", comparable to "to take the hide off (of someone)". Our comparison as so frequently stays between Semitic and Germanic.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 02/01/2013 at 11.10.09