girru

girru

Akkadian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡir.ru/

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *gVr- (“whelp”). Cognate with Arabic جَرْو‎ (jarw, “cub”) and Biblical Hebrew גּוּר‎ (gur, “cub”).

Noun

girru m (Standard Babylonian)

1. lion

   Synonyms: 𒌨𒈤 (nēšum), 𒆷𒁍𒌝 (lābum)

   • c. 7th–9th C. BCE [c. 1300 BCE], Ludlul bēl nēmeqi‎, CDLI P491222, canto 5:

     𒄿𒈾 𒉿𒄿 𒄫𒊑 𒀀𒆸𒅀
     𒀉𒁲 𒀮𒊓𒈠 𒀭𒀫𒌓

     ina pî girri ākilīya
     iddi napsama Marduk

     /i‐na pi‐i gir‐ri a‐kil‐ia
     id‐di nap‐sa‐ma ^dAMAR.UTU/

     In the mouth of the lion devouring me
     Marduk placed a bit.

   • p. 1000 BCE, Lexical series Ea‎, composite number Q000156, tablet 4, entry 133:

     𒍣𒅁 𒄞 𒐼 𒀭𒌨𒄞 𒄫𒀸

     zib GUD ša ^dUR.ZIB₃ girrum

     /zi‐ib GUD ša₂ ^dUR.ZIB₃ gir‐rum/

     [Sign:] 𒄞 [Pronunciation:] zib, as in 𒀭𒌨𒄞 (^dUR.ZIB₃ /urdib/, “lion”)

Alternative forms

• gerru

Cuneiform spellings

Phonetic
𒄫𒊒 (gir-ru) 𒄀𒅕𒊒 (gi-ir-ru)

References

• “girru C”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD), volume 5, G, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956, page 94
• Black, Jeremy; George, Andrew; Postgate, Nicholas (1976), “gerru II”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag