Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʕašt-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed words 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

**Proto-Semitic numbers ^(edit)**
	10
	1	2 →
Cardinal: *ʕašt-

Numeral

*ʕašt-

one

Usage notes

Supplanted in West Semitic by *ʔaḥad- (“lone”).
The feminine is formed with the rare feminine suffix *-ay.

Inflection

Declension of *ʕašt-

	m	f
Nominative	*ʕaštum	*ʕaštayum
Genitive	*ʕaštim	*ʕaštayim
Accusative	*ʕaštam	*ʕaštayam

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒁹 m (/ištēn/), 𒁹 f (/išteat, ištēt/)
West Semitic:
- Arabic: اِسْت‎ (ist)
- Northwest Semitic:
  - Hebrew: עַשְׁתֵּי‎ f (ʿaštē)
  - Ugaritic: 𐎓𐎌𐎚 m (ʿšt), 𐎓𐎌𐎗 m (ʿšr), 𐎓𐎌𐎚𐎊 f (ʿšty)
- Old South Arabian:
  - Minaean: 𐩲𐩪𐩩‎ (ʿs¹t)
  - Qatabanian: 𐩲𐩪𐩩𐩬𐩣‎ (ʿs¹tnm)
→ Hurrian: 𐎛𐎘𐎚 (ỉṯt /ašt/), (possibly; potentially related to or otherwise developed from Proto-Hurro-Urartian *šu- (“one, once”) reconstructed from Hurrian 𒉻𒆠 (šuk-ki /šukki/) and Urartian 𒋗𒋛𒉌 (šu-si-ni /šusini/))

References

Wilson-Wright, Aren (2014) , “The Word for 'One' in Proto-Semitic”, in Journal of Semitic Studies‎, volume 59, issue 1, DOI:10.1093/jss/fgt032, page 1–13.
Huehnergard, John (2019) , “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN, page 61