Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʕaṯtar-

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

Unknown. A borrowing from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”) has been suggested, perhaps by way of an Anatolian language, but runs into phonetic and semantic problems that are difficult to resolve.

Possibly inherited from Proto-Afroasiatic and cognate with Central Atlas Tamazight ⵉⵜⵔⵉ (itri) and Proto-Chadic *təra (whence Hausa tàurārṑ), if they are not in turn borrowings ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.

Proper noun

*ʕaṯtar- f

name of a star goddess, Astarte, Ishtar

Inflection

Declension of *ʕaṯtar-

Case

Singular

Dual

Plural

Nominative

*ʕaṯtarum

*ʕaṯtarāna

*ʕaṯtarātum

Genitive

*ʕaṯtarim

*ʕaṯtarayna

*ʕaṯtarātim

Accusative

*ʕaṯtaram

possessive forms

1st person

*ʕaṯtarī / *ʕaṯtarVya

—

*ʕaṯtarVni

2nd person m

*ʕaṯtarVka

*ʕaṯtarVkumā / *ʕaṯtarVkumay

*ʕaṯtarVkum(ū)

2nd person f

*ʕaṯtarVki

*ʕaṯtarVkin(ā)

3rd person m

*ʕaṯtarVšu

*ʕaṯtarVšumā / *ʕaṯtarVšumay

*ʕaṯtarVšum(ū)

3rd person f

*ʕaṯtarVša

*ʕaṯtarVšin(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: *ʕaṯtaruya for nom. case, *ʕaṯtariya for gen. case, *ʕaṯtaraya for acc. case, etc.

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*ʕaṯtaruka	*ʕaṯtarāka	*ʕaṯtarātuka
Genitive	*ʕaṯtarika	*ʕaṯtarayka	*ʕaṯtarātika
Accusative	*ʕaṯtaraka	*ʕaṯtarayka	*ʕaṯtarātika

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*ʕaṯtaruki	*ʕaṯtarāki	*ʕaṯtarātuki
Genitive	*ʕaṯtariki	*ʕaṯtarayki	*ʕaṯtarātiki
Accusative	*ʕaṯtaraki	*ʕaṯtarayki	*ʕaṯtarātiki

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒀭𒈹 (Ištar)
- Eblaite: 𒀭𒈹 (^dMUŠ₃, ^dINANNA /Ašdar/)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Ancient North Arabian: [script needed] (ʿAṯtar)[1]
    - Arabic: عَثْتَر‎ (ʕaṯtar)
    - → Imperial Aramaic: 𐡏𐡔𐡕𐡓𐡌‎ (ʿAštarum)[2]
    - → Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡰𐡯𐡶𐡴‎ (ʿAstōr)[3][1]
    - → Phoenician: 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤌‎ (ʿAštarum)[1]
  - Northwest-Semitic:
    - Amorite: 𒀭𒀹𒁯 (^diš₈-dar, ^diš₈-tar₂ /ʿaṯtar(t)i/, Akkadian heterogram)
      - Ugaritic: 𐎓𐎘𐎚𐎗 (ʿṯtr /ʿAṯtar/), 𐎓𐎘𐎚𐎗𐎚 (ʿṯtrt /ʿAṯtart/)
    - Aramaic:
      - Old Aramaic: 𐡏𐡕𐡓‎ (ʿAttar)[3][1]
        → Akkadian: 𒀭𒀀𒋻 (^da-tar /Atar/), 𒀭𒀜𒋻 (^dat-tar /Attar/)[3]
        → Ancient North Arabian: 𐪒𐪉𐪇‎ (ʿAttar)[3]
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: עַשְׁתֹּרֶת‎ ('ashtóret, ʿaštṓreṯ)
        → Classical Syriac: ܐܷܣܬܪܴܐ‎ (ʾestərā)
        → Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: עַשְׁתָּרוֹת‎ (ʿaštārōṯ) and עַשְׁתְּרָתָא‎ (ʿaštərāṯā, “Ashtoreth”), אׅיסְתְּרָא‎ (ʾistərā, “female spirit”)
      - Moabite: 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓‎ (ʿAštar)[3]
      - Phoenician: 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤕‎ (ʿAštart), 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓‎ (ʿAštar)[4][3]
        → Ancient Greek: Ἀστάρτη (Astártē)
        → Latin: Astartē
        → English: Astarte
    - → Egyptian:
      
      (ꜥsṯjrṯt),
      
      (ꜥzṯjrṯt),
      
      (ꜥꜣstjr),
      
      (ꜥꜣsyty),
      
      (ꜥsṯt),
      
      (ꜥsṯrdt)
  - Old South Arabian: 𐩲𐩻𐩩𐩧‎ (ʿṯtr), 𐩲𐩯𐩩𐩧𐩣‎ (ʿśtrm)[3][1]
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Ge'ez: ዐስተር (ʿästär, “heaven, sky”)
    - → Amharic: አስታር (ʾästar), ኣስተር (ʾastär, “star”)
    - → Blin: ኣስተር (astär, “sky”)
    - → Tigre: ዓስተር (ʿastär, “heaven”)

References

Lipiński, Edward (2006) On the Skirts of Canaan in the Iron Age: Historical and Topographical Researches (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta), volume 153, Leuven, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, page 413
Lipiński, Edward (1975) Studies in Aramaic Inscriptions and Onomastics (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta), volume 1, Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press, →ISBN, pages 58–76
Lipiński, Edward (2000) The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta), volume 100, Leuven, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, pages 607-613
Lipiński, Edward (1995) Dieux et déesses de l'univers phénicien et punique [Gods and Goddesses of the Phoenician and Punic Universe] (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta) (in French), volume 64, Leuven, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, pages 411-412

Sources

Aren Wilson-Wright (2016), Athtart: The Transmission and Transformation of a Goddess in the Late Bronze Age, →ISBN
“strˀ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
“ˁštrt”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
Olmo Lete, Gregorio del; Sanmartín, Joaquín; Watson, Wilfred G. E. (2015), “ʿṯtr – ʿṯtrt”, in A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition (Handbook of Oriental Studies; 112), 3rd edition, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 190–192
Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 73
Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 61

[Lipiński2006-1] Lipiński, Edward (2006) On the Skirts of Canaan in the Iron Age: Historical and Topographical Researches (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta), volume 153, Leuven, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, page 413

[2] Lipiński, Edward (1975) Studies in Aramaic Inscriptions and Onomastics (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta), volume 1, Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press, →ISBN, pages 58–76

[Lipiński2000-3] Lipiński, Edward (2000) The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta), volume 100, Leuven, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, pages 607-613

[4] Lipiński, Edward (1995) Dieux et déesses de l'univers phénicien et punique [Gods and Goddesses of the Phoenician and Punic Universe] (Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta) (in French), volume 64, Leuven, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, pages 411-412