E 0791          SERIES

The word " series " is of Latin origin .

H 0951                 ה ר ו ש                

Concept of root : series

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ה ר ו ש

shurà

file, series

Related English words

series , from Latin

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ה ר ו ש

shurà

file, series

sh (u) r

Greek

σειρα

seira

series, file

s . r

Latin

series

sériès

series, file

s . r

German

Schar

shar

array

sh . r

Dutch

schare

sghare

array

sch . r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SHURÀ < *SHARÀ --- *SKĀR- Proto-Germanic; SĒR- Greek/Latin

 

 

The word sounds like that of entry E 0812 (Hebrew 0950), but meaning and root are different. This is related to an important group of words from various European languages, as our table shows.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. The word " ש ר ש ר ה, sharěshěrà", plural " ש ר ש ו ת , sharěshot" means "chain" and gives insight in the way Hebrew may build a word by repetition of word parts or root partst. Moreover we see from this word that the Waw, present in "shurà" is left out without changing the basic message of the root.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. There is not much information from other Semitic languages, but Aramaic has "ש ו ר ת א, shurtà= row, line", in a typical independent Aramaic development on the basis of the same root. Proto-Semitic may well have had "*ש ו ר , SH W R". It is seen as related to the root "*ש ר ה , SH R + accentuated vowel", carrying the message of "to maintain, support". This may be right, though not certain.

 

Note:
  • German and Dutch. The original meaning of these words was that of an array, especially of troops, but also for example of a train or suite of people. Gradually this has come to include also a "host", "multitude" of people or cattle, also without a precise order . In reality also the word series is used with less discipline than in the past and can mean a certain number of beings or things of the same kind that are not placed in a specific order.

     

    Obviously the similarity with Hebrew teaches us that these words have no relationship with the concept of "cutting " or with the English word "share" (in a Company).

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. In older languages we find Old Norse "skari", Old High German "scara", Middle Low German "schare", Middle Dutch "scare" . A Proto-Germanic "*SK Ā R-" is probable.

 

Note:
  • Latin and Neo- Latin languages have added to their vocabulary the German root of the previous note. In Latin very late, in the ninth century began to be used "scara", identical to very old High German "skara, scara". In the fourteenth century this became "schèra" and then the results were seen in Italian "schiera , skyéra". Meanwhile the Latin word "series" triumphed all over in its own right.

 

Note:
  • Latin. The word "series" is related to the verb "sero, serui, sertum, serere = to string- link together". This must be distinguished from "sero, sevi/serui, satum, serere = to sow". The indication is anyhow "SER-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. On the basis of Latin, Greek and Celtic a, original "S E R-" seems possible, but the considerable difference with Germanic leaves some doubt. For that reason we mention in the comparison both Proto-Germanic and Greek/Latin, without a hypothesis for Indo-European.

     

    Celtic shows Old Irish "sreth = row". Scholars tell there is some confusion with words for "to spread out", but the shown example from Old Irish gives its contribution.

     

    Greek, besides the word "seira" also has a verb "eiro" that comes from an older "*ser-", and has a message of "to link together". The indication is "*S Ē R-"

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 06/12/2012 at 17.03.47