Re: questions about Arabic

On 20 March, Christophe Grandsire wrote:

>En réponse à Steg Belsky <draqonfayir@...>:
>
>>
>> Just for a little intra-Semitic comparison,
>> The root KVN in Hebrew can mean:
>> to aim
>> to concentrate
>> to prepare
>> to intend
>> to be set up
>>
>> depending on the paradigm.
>>
To extend the list, it can also mean
    "correct" (/naxon/, nun-chaf-vav-nun sofit)

     "disk/CD/DVD (etc.)  drive"  (/konan/, kaf-vav-nun-nun sofit)

    "high alert (in a military sense)" (/konenut/; [the /e/ is very short];
                                kaf-vav-nun-nun-vav-tav)

<snip>

>What I'm wondering now
>is the original meaning of the root KWN in Proto-Semitic...
    I'm not an expert on Proto-Semitic, but, FWIW,  my Hebrew dictionary
states that the Hebrew root chaf-vav-nun  is related to the Akkadian
"ka'`nu"
meaning "was strong", (along with the Arabic past tense for "to be", which
was IIRC already mentioned in this thread, plus words from Aramaic and
Ugaritic for which no meanings are provided).


Dan Sulani

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likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a.

A word is an awesome thing.