urḫum

Akkadian

Root
'-r-ḫ

𒌫𒄷𒌝 (urḫum)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔurḫ- (“road”). Cognate with Biblical Hebrew אֹרַח‎ (ʾóraḥ, “way, path”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈur.χum/

Noun

urḫum f or m (construct state uruḫ, pronominal state uruḫ or urḫa, plural urḫū or urḫātum f or urḫānu) (from Old Assyrian, Old Babylonian on)

road, path, way
𒌑𒊒𒄴 𒊭𒁲𒅎 ― u₂-ru-uḫ ša-di-im /uruḫ šadîm/ ― mountain path
𒌨𒄩𒋗 𒄿𒅋𒆷𒀝 ― ur-ḫa-šu i-il-la-ak /urḫašu illak/ ― he goes his own way
𒀀𒇷𒅅 𒌨𒄭𒅎 ― a-li-ik ur-ḫi-im /ālik urḫim/ ― traveller
𒌑𒊒𒄴 𒊭𒈨𒂊 ― u₂-ru-uḫ ša-me-e /uruḫ šamê/ ― way of life (literally, “heavenly path”)

Alternative forms

urḫu (non-mimated)
arḫu (Assyrian, Boghazkeui)

Cuneiform spellings
Logograms	Phonetic
𒌚 (ITI) (pseudologogram, rare)	𒌫𒄷𒌝 (ur₂-ḫu-um) 𒌨𒄷 (ur-ḫu) 𒌨𒄩𒄠 (ur-ḫa-am) (accusative) 𒌨𒄩 (ur-ḫa) (accusative) 𒌨𒄭𒅎 (ur-ḫi-im) (genitive) 𒌑𒊒𒄴 (u₂-ru-uḫ) (construct state)

References

“urḫu A”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD), Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
Black, Jeremy; George, Andrew; Postgate, Nicholas (1976), “urḫu(m) I”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag