š m š
32 lemmas · 7 languages
soundAll three consonants are regularT Deut.4.41
Themes:sun· شَمْس · שֶׁמֶשׁ·7servant·5attendant·4box·4serve·3
POS shape:noun·20verb·6name·4adj·2
This root is attested across 7 Semitic languages in our index. Each section below shows representative lemmas; attested means a Wiktionary editor explicitly tagged the root, inferredmeans we derived it mechanically from the word's consonantal skeleton.
Etymology treehow this root diverged from Proto-Semitic through the family
*š-m-šProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Canaanite
Hebrewשֶׁמֶשׁשׁ מ שׁ— sun
Phoenician𐤔𐤌𐤔𐤔 𐤌 𐤔— sun
Punic𐤔𐤌𐤔𐤔 𐤌 𐤔— sun
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicשמשש מ ש— to serve
Syriacܫܡܫܐܫ ܡ ܫ— servant, attendant
Assyrian NAܫܡܸܫܫ ܡ ܫ— Shamash
Arabic
Arabicشَمْشَادش م ش— box (Buxus sempervirens)
Branch structure: Huehnergard (2005), Rubin (2010). The reconstructed Proto-Semitic form is computed on the fly from the cognate set's majority reflex pattern.
Phoenician
irregular reflexphn · 1 lemma- sun
Punic
irregular reflexpun · 1 lemma- sun
Imperial Aramaic
arc · 5 lemmas- to serve
- sunFrom Proto-Semitic *śamš-.
- servant
- solar
- solar
Classical Syriac
syc · 6 lemmas- servant, attendantFrom the root ܫ ܡ ܫ, related to serving; compare Arabic شَمَّاس (šammās), Hebrew שַׁמָּשׁ (šammāš).
- servant, attendant, ministerFrom the root ܫ ܡ ܫ related to serving.
▸ 1 derivation
- relatedܫܡܫܐ
- serving, serviceFrom the root ܫ ܡ ܫ related to serving.
- maidservant, attendant, ministerFrom the root ܫ ܡ ܫ related to serving.
- SunFrom Proto-Semitic *śamš-. The sense of "lizard" is a calque of Ancient Greek σαύρᾱ ἡλιακή (saúrā hēliakḗ).
- box (Buxus sempervirens)Uncertain; possibly borrowed from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (šmšʾl /šimšār/), if not the other way around. Cognate with Akkadian 𒅆𒈨𒌍𒊭𒇻𒌋 (ši-meš-ša-lu-u /šimeššalû/), 𒋆𒊭𒇻𒌋 (šim-ša-lu-u /šimšalû, šimšallu/, “a tree; potentially boxwood”), which is deemed a loanword.
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
aii · 8 lemmas- ShamashSemi-learned borrowing from Classical Syriac, from Akkadian 𒀭𒌓 (Šamaš).
- singular construct state of ܫܸܡܫܵܐ (šimšā, “sun”)Semi-learned borrowing from Classical Syriac, from Akkadian 𒀭𒌓 (Šamaš).
- to serve, provide a serviceCompare Hebrew שִׁמֵּשׁ (shimésh) and Arabic شَمَّسَ (šammasa).
▸ 1 derivation
- derivedܫܲܡܵܫܵܐšammāšā
- sunInherited from Aramaic שִׁמְשָׁא (šimšā), from Proto-Semitic *śamš-; compare Arabic شَمْس (šams), Hebrew שֶׁמֶשׁ (shémesh) and Akkadian 𒌓 (šamšum).
▸ 1 derivation
- derivedܫܸܡܫܵܐ ܕܣܲܗܪܵܐšimšā dsahrā
- ShamashInherited from Aramaic שִׁמְשָׁא (šimšā), from Proto-Semitic *śamš-; compare Arabic شَمْس (šams), Hebrew שֶׁמֶשׁ (shémesh) and Akkadian 𒌓 (šamšum).
- servant, attendantActive noun of ܡܫܲܡܸܫ (mšammiš, “to serve”) irregularly in the G/peal stem agent noun pattern; compare Arabic شَمَّاس (šammās), Hebrew שַׁמָּשׁ (shamásh).
- a surname originating as an occupationActive noun of ܡܫܲܡܸܫ (mšammiš, “to serve”) irregularly in the G/peal stem agent noun pattern; compare Arabic شَمَّاس (šammās), Hebrew שַׁמָּשׁ (shamásh).
- to be/become sunnyDerived from the noun ܫܸܡܫܵܐ (šimšā, “sun”) and adjective ܫܸܡܫܵܢܵܐ (šimšānā, “sunny”).
Hebrew
he · 8 lemmas- sunFrom Proto-Semitic *śamš-.
▸ 2 derivations
- relatedשליח ציבורshalíakh tsibúr
- relatedגבאיgabái
- public servant
- to serve, be used
- windowpane
- to use, to make use of
- One who uses; a user.
▸ 1 derivation
- derivedשֵׁם מִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁshém mishtamésh
- Masculine singular present participle and present tense of השתמש (hishtamésh).
- use, utilization, using, making use (of)
Arabic
ar · 3 lemmas- box (Buxus sempervirens)Borrowed from Persian شمشاد (šemšâd).
- alternative form of شَمْشَاد (šamšād, “box tree”)
- alternative form of شَمْشَاد (šamšād, “box tree”)