Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/māy-

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

Alternative forms

*may-

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic *maʔ-.

Noun

*māy- m pl

water

Inflection

Declension of *māy-

Case

Singular

Dual

Plural

Nominative

*māyum

*māyāna

plural stem + *-ūna

Genitive

*māyim

*māyayna

plural stem + *-īna

Accusative

*māyam

possessive forms

1st person

*māyī / *māyVya

—

*māyVni

2nd person m

*māyVka

*māyVkumā / *māyVkumay

*māyVkum(ū)

2nd person f

*māyVki

*māyVkin(ā)

3rd person m

*māyVšu

*māyVšumā / *māyVšumay

*māyVšum(ū)

3rd person f

*māyVša

*māyVšin(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: *māyuya for nom. case, *māyiya for gen. case, *māyaya for acc. case, etc.

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*māyuka	*māyāka	plural stem + *-ūka
Genitive	*māyika	*māyayka	plural stem + *-īka
Accusative	*māyaka	*māyayka	plural stem + *-īka

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*māyuki	*māyāki	plural stem + *-ūki
Genitive	*māyiki	*māyayki	plural stem + *-īki
Accusative	*māyaki	*māyayki	plural stem + *-īki

Reconstruction notes

Kogan gives the reconstructed form as *mā̆y-, with vowel length uncertain. No inflection is shown here; the Akkadian and some some West Semitic forms are plural only, as are the Proto-Berber and Egyptian forms, suggesting that the same may have been the case for Proto-Semitic.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒀀 (mû)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: مَاء‎ (māʾ), مَاه‎ (māh), مَا‎ (mā), مَي‎ (may)
    - Algerian Arabic: ما‎ (mā)
    - Andalusian Arabic: ما‎ (mā)
    - Baharna Arabic: مي‎ (me)
    - Chadian Arabic: المي‎ (almi)
    - Egyptian Arabic: مية‎ (máyya)
    - Gulf Arabic: ماي‎ (māy)
    - Hassaniya: ما‎ (ma)
    - Hijazi Arabic: موية‎ (mōya)
    - Iraqi Arabic: ماي‎ (māy)
    - Libyan Arabic: مي‎ (me)
    - Maltese: ilma
    - Moroccan Arabic: ما‎ (mā)
    - North Levantine Arabic: مَي‎ (may)
    - South Levantine Arabic: مي‎ (ṃayy)
    - Sudanese Arabic: موية‎ (mōya)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic: מַיָּא‎ (mayyā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܡܰܝܴ̈ܐ‎ (mayyā)
      - Mandaic: ࡌࡉࡀ‎ (miā/myā)
      - Lishana Deni: מאיא‎ (ṃāya), מאייה‎ (ṃāye)
      - Christian Bishmiyaye: Undetermined: [script needed] (miya)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: מַיִם‎ (máyim)
        → Yiddish: מים‎ (mayim)
        → Dutch: majem
      - Phoenician: 𐤌𐤌‎ (mm /mēm/)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎊 (my)
  - Old South Arabian:
    - Sabaean: 𐩣𐩥‎ (mw)
  - Safaitic: 𐪃𐪚‎ m (my /māy/), 𐪃𐪚𐪉‎ f (myt /mayyat/), 𐪃𐪅𐪑‎ (mwʾ /mowayʾ/), 𐪃𐪑‎ (mʾ /māʾ/)
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Harsusi: myōh
  - Hobyót: ḥmo
  - Mehri: moh
  - Shehri: míh
  - Bathari: muh
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Ge'ez: ማይ (may)
  - Harari: ሚይ (miy)
  - Silt'e: መይ
  - Tigre: ማይ (may)
  - Tigrinya: ማይ (may)
  - Wolane: መይ
  - Zay: ማይ

References

Kogan, Leonid (2011), “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 191
Alexander Militarev, A complete etymology-based hundred wordlist of Semitic updated: Items 75-100, in the Journal of Language Relationhip[s]