Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/miʕay-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic

Etymology

*mi- (“device preformative”) +‎ *waʕay- (“to contain”) as in Arabic وِعَاء‎ (wiʿāʾ, “container”), after Rundgren, who dares speak of “uralte dissimilation” from *miwʕay-. Compare also some forms mentioned under Arabic إِنَاء‎ (ʾināʾ, “receptacle”) formed in Proto-Semitic.

According to Jastrow there is *ʕayn- (“eye; source”), since Mishnaic Hebrew מַעְיָן‎ (maʿyān) means both “inside, digestive organ” and “spring, fountain, source, issue”, which, while the Biblical dual or plural also often means “inward parts”, even “emotions”, is for the whole word dubious since like with English inwards, or even English guts, the reverse figurative development is totally likely, but it may be a source of contamination for that variant unless it is not just the *-ān- suffix, which is also most likely.

Noun

*miʕay- f or m

intestine, tharm

Declension

Declension of *miʕay-

Case

Singular

Dual

Plural

Nominative

*miʕayum

*miʕayāna

plural stem + *-ūna

Genitive

*miʕayim

*miʕayayna

plural stem + *-īna

Accusative

*miʕayam

possessive forms

1st person

*miʕayī / *miʕayVya

—

*miʕayVni

2nd person m

*miʕayVka

*miʕayVkumā / *miʕayVkumay

*miʕayVkum(ū)

2nd person f

*miʕayVki

*miʕayVkin(ā)

3rd person m

*miʕayVšu

*miʕayVšumā / *miʕayVšumay

*miʕayVšum(ū)

3rd person f

*miʕayVša

*miʕayVšin(ā)

Note: the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible.

Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *miʕayuya for nom. case, *miʕayiya for gen. case, *miʕayaya for acc. case, etc.

Declension of 2sg m. possessive form (your/thy m.) *miʕay-

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*miʕayuka	*miʕayāka	plural stem + *-ūka
Genitive	*miʕayika	*miʕayayka	plural stem + *-īka
Accusative	*miʕayaka	*miʕayayka	plural stem + *-īka

Declension of 2sg f. possessive form (your/thy f.) *miʕay-

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*miʕayuki	*miʕayāki	plural stem + *-ūki
Genitive	*miʕayiki	*miʕayayki	plural stem + *-īki
Accusative	*miʕayaki	*miʕayayki	plural stem + *-īki

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒌍 (amūtum), once 𒈬𒌑𒌈 (mu-ú-tum /mūtum/) (assuming labial assimilation of the first vowel here, alternatively this is the outcome of the sequence iw)
West Semitic:
- Arabic: مِعًى‎ (miʿan), مَعًى‎ (maʿan), مَعْي‎ (maʿy), مِعَاء‎ (miʿāʾ)
- Northwest Semitic:
  - Aramaic: מְעָא‎ (məʿā) / ܡܰܥܝܳܐ‎ (maʿyā) etc., with a Classical Syriac ܡܥܽܘܬܳܐ‎ (məʿūṯā) which according to CAL would have an absolute state *ܡܥܽܘ (*məʿō) and according to Lundgren is assimilated from *ܡܰܥܘܬܳܐ (*maʿwəṯā), and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and Jewish Literary Aramaic: מַעְיָנָא‎ (maʿyānā)
  - Hebrew: מֵעֶה‎ (me'é, mēʿê), מַעְיָן‎ (ma'yán, maʿyān), singulars only attested in Mishnaic Hebrew, plural or dual מֵעִים‎ (me'ím, mēʿîm), מֵעַיִם‎ (me'áyim, mēʿáyim) from which Modern Israeli Hebrew has artificially the singular מְעִי‎ (m'í, məʿî), possibly the plural is מֵעוֹת‎ (me'ót, mēʿôṯ) in Isaiah 48:19
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - North Ethiopian Semitic:
    - ⇒ Ge'ez: አማዑት (ʾämaʿut), አምዑት (ʾämʿut) (originally አምዑት (ʾämʿut) is a broken plural *አምዕውት (ʾämʿəwt), of which one formed another broken plural *አማዕውት (ʾämaʿəwt) after which the most common form is አማዑት (ʾämaʿut), the plural plural plural thence being አማዕዋት (ʾämaʿəwat))
    - ⇒ Tigrinya: አምዑት (ʾämʿut)
    - Tigre: ምዖ (məʿo), ምዖታይ (məʿotay), ምዖተት (məʿotät) (technically *ምዐው (*məʿäw) can be an old broken plural, a known plural pattern in Təgre)
      - ⇒ Tigre: አምዒት (ʾämʿit), አምዑት (ʾämʿut), ዐምዒት (ʿämʿit) (originally a broken plural *አምዕይት (ʾämʿəyt))
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Harsusi: mʿeyīn
  - Mehri: mə˒wəyēn, mə˒əwəyēn
  - Soqotri: miʿḥo, míḥo

References

Jastrow, Marcus (1903) A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, London, New York: Luzac & Co., G.P. Putnam's Sons, page 816a
Militarev, Alexander; Kogan, Leonid (2000), “*maˁay/w(-at)- in the book, *mVˁay- online”, in Semitic Etymological Dictionary, volume I: Anatomy of Man and Animals, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 168-169 Nr. 185
Nöldeke, Theodor (1875) Mandäische Grammatik‎ (in German), Halle: Verlag der Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, page 109
Rundgren, Frithiof (1961), “Semitische Wortstudien”, in Orientalia Suecana‎, volume 10, pages 121–127