E 0919           -THYMIA

The final wordpart " –thymia "  is of Greek origin .

H 0986              ם ע ט                   

Concept of root : taste for food

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ם ע ט

tha‛am

taste for food; feeling; intellect

Related English words

-thymia, from Greek

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ם ע ט

tha‛am

taste for food ; feeling; intellect

th . (‛) . m

Greek

θυμος

thümos

desire for food ; feeling ;

soul

th . m

English

- thymia

-state of mind

th . m

 

 

Proto-Semitic *THA‛AM --- THÜM-OS Greek

 

 

A particular message that these two roots have in common is that of taste and wish for some food. But they share also other meanings, such as that of feelings and sentiments. The basis in Greek seems to be that of the "inner man that feels", in Hebrew that of the "inner man that thinks". These are the two different cultural results for a root that seems to have dealt with the "essential of being human".

 

Note:
  • Greek "thümos" in classic language was used for a range of meanings regarding the human mind and spirit with their emotions and desires. Among those there was also the desire for food. In modern language this root has been concentrated on the human emotion in anger, temper and rage. Some words still remind of the wider range of classic Greek, such as "θυμιζω , thimizo = to remind ", "θυμιδια , thimidia = hilarity ", "θυμικο , thimiko = affect " and "θυμοειδης , thimoidis = high-spirited ".

 

Note:
  • Hebrew "tha‛am" also covered a range of meanings regarding the human mind and spirit. Among these were human sensations and intellect as well as taste. Today it is "to taste" that has conquered the field, though "reason" is not quite out.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic is considered to have already used the same root we see in Hebrew "*ט ע ם , TH Ayin M". It is seen in Aramaic and Syriac "ט ע ם , the‛em = he tasted" and "ט ע ם א, tha‛amà = reason, way of thinking". Arabic "thaima" and Ethiopian "the‛ema" both say "he tasted, examined". Akkadian "tēmu = sense, understanding".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Indications for cognates in other branches of Indo-European we do not have available. The comparison stands between Semitic and Greek.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 12/12/2012 at 17.38.48