b r k
48 lemmas · 12 languages
soundAll three consonants are regular📜 Gen.22.17
Themes:knee· رُكْبَة · בֶּרֶךְ·10bless· بَارَكَ · בֵּרֵךְ·6blessing· بَرَكَة · בְּרָכָה·6pond·4kneel·3
POS shape:noun·28verb·12adj·5name·2intj·1
This root is attested across 12 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
*b-r-kProto-Semitic
East Semitic
Akkadianbirkumb r k— knee
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Ugaritic𐎁𐎗𐎋𐎁 𐎗 𐎋— knee
Canaanite
Hebrewבֶּרֶךְב ר ך— knee
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicבְּרַךְב ר כ— to kneel, to bow
Syriacܒܪܟܒ ܪ ܟ— to bend, bend down, crouch
Assyrian NAܒܵܪܹܟܒ ܪ ܟ— to kneel
Turoyoܒܪܟܐܒ ܪ ܟ— knee
Arabic
Arabicبَرَكَب ر ك— to kneel down
South Semitic
Old South Arabian
OSA𐩨𐩧𐩫𐩨 𐩧 𐩫— bless
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezብርክበ ረ ከ— knee
Amharicቡራኬበ ረ ከ— blessing
Tigrinyaብርኪበ ረ ከ— knee
Branch structure: Huehnergard (2005), Rubin (2010). The reconstructed Proto-Semitic form is computed on the fly from the cognate set's majority reflex pattern.
Akkadian
akk · 1 lemma- kneeFrom Proto-Semitic *birk- (“knee”). Cognate with Arabic بَرَكَ (baraka, “to kneel”), رُكْبَة (rukba, “knee”) and Biblical Hebrew בֶּרֶךְ (bɛ́rɛḵ, “knee”).
▸ 2 derivations
- relatedbēl birkim
- related𒇿pagrum
Ugaritic
irregular reflexug · 4 lemmas- kneeFrom Proto-Semitic *birk- (“knee”). Cognate with Hebrew בֶּרֶךְ (béreḵ).
- to blessCompare Biblical Hebrew בֵּרַךְ (bēraḵ).
- blessing
- pond, poolCompare Hebrew בְּרֵכָה (bərēḵā).
Old South Arabian
irregular reflexosa · 2 lemmas- bless
- pond
Imperial Aramaic
arc · 5 lemmas- to kneel, to bowSee Arabic بَرَكَ (baraka), Hebrew בָּרַךְ.
- to blessSee Arabic بَارَكَ (bāraka), Hebrew בֵּרֵךְ, Amharic ባረከ (baräkä)
- knee
- blessingCompare Hebrew בְּרָכָה (bərāḵā), Arabic بَرَكَة (baraka).
- plural of בִּרְכְּתָאCompare Hebrew בְּרָכָה (bərāḵā), Arabic بَرَكَة (baraka).
Classical Syriac
syc · 5 lemmas- to bend, bend down, crouchFrom the root ܒ ܪ ܟ related to kneeling, from Proto-Semitic; cognate with Arabic بَرَكَ (baraka), بَارَكَ (bāraka), Hebrew בָּרַךְ (bāraḵ), בֵּרַךְ (bēraḵ), בֵּרֵךְ (bērēḵ), Amharic ባረከ (baräkä).
- genuflectionCompare Arabic بَرَكَة (baraka), Hebrew בְּרָכָה (bərāḵâ).
- benediction
- absolute singular of ܒܪܟܐ
- emphatic plural of ܒܘܪܟܐ (“knee”)
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
aii · 8 lemmas- to kneelUncertain:
- to bless, to hallowFrom Aramaic בְּרַךְ (bəraḵ), from Proto-Semitic; cognate with Arabic بَارَكَ (bāraka) and Hebrew בֵּרַךְ (berákh) and Amharic ባረከ (baräkä).
- benedictionVerbal noun of ܡܒܲܪܸܟ݂ (mbarriḵ, “to bless”).
- blessedInherited from Aramaic בְרִיכָא (bərīḵā); past participle of Aramaic [Term?] in the archaic meaning of “to bless”. Related to Arabic مُبَارِك (mubārik) and Hebrew בָּרוּךְ (barúkh).
▸ 8 derivations
- derivedܚܲܕ݇ܒ݂ܫܲܒܵܐ ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐḥaḇšabbā brīḵā
- derivedܛܲܗܪܘܼܟ݂ ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐṭahrōḵ brīḵā
- derivedܝܵܘܡܵܐ ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐyāwmā brīḵā
- derivedܥܹܐܕ݂ܘܼܟ݂ ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐˁēḏōḵ brīḵā
- derivedܨܲܦܪܵܐ ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐṣaprā brīḵā
- derivedܪܲܡܫܵܐ ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐramšā brīḵā
- derivedܫܵܒ݂ܘܿܥܵܐ ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐšāḇōˁā brīḵā
- derivedܒܪܝܼܟ݂ܘܿbrīḵō
- congratulations (to a man) (used to express praise and approval, expressing approbation)Inherited from Aramaic בְרִיכָא (bərīḵā); past participle of Aramaic [Term?] in the archaic meaning of “to bless”. Related to Arabic مُبَارِك (mubārik) and Hebrew בָּרוּךְ (barúkh).
- a male given nameInherited from Aramaic בְרִיכָא (bərīḵā); past participle of Aramaic [Term?] in the archaic meaning of “to bless”. Related to Arabic مُبَارِك (mubārik) and Hebrew בָּרוּךְ (barúkh).
- kneelingPassive participle of ܒܵܪܹܟ (bārēk).
- blessingFrom the above root of the noun pattern 1u23ṯā.
Hebrew
he · 8 lemmas- kneeFrom Proto-Semitic *birk-, *bark- (“knee”).
- kneeledFrom Proto-Semitic *birk-, *bark- (“knee”).
- to be blessed
- blessedCompare Aramaic בְּרִיךְ (bərīḵ), Arabic مبارك (mubārak).
- a male given name, BaruchCompare Aramaic בְּרִיךְ (bərīḵ), Arabic مبارك (mubārak).
- blessing, congratulationCognate with Arabic بَرَكَة (baraka).
- a pond, a pool
- bentsher (book or pamphlet containing the text for grace after meals and, often, other meal-related prayers and blessings)
Arabic
ar · 8 lemmas- to kneel downDerived from Proto-Semitic *birk-, *bark- (“knee”) (ب ر ك (b r k)). Compare رُكْبَة (rukba, “knee”), from the variant root.
- elative degree of مُبَارَك (mubārak)
- to blessFrom the root ب ر ك (b r k). Compare Ge'ez ባረከ (baräkä) and Hebrew בֵּרֵךְ (bērēḵ).
- bliss, blessing, boon
▸ 1 derivation
- relatedغَدِيرḡadīr
- pondCompare Hebrew בריכה (brekhá, “pond, pool”).
- kneePerhaps from Proto-Semitic *rukba- (“knee”), metathetic form of Proto-Semitic *birk- (“knee”), whence also the root ب ر ك (b r k). Ehret (1995) derives this word from Proto-Afroasiatic *ruk- (“to bend”) instead.
- volcanoFrom Sicilian vurcanu, from Latin Vulcānus, absorbed after the Arab invasion in Sicily.
- a kind of rougher camlet used for clothing itemsClassical Persian پرنگان (parnagān, parnigān), پرندگان (parandigān), from Middle Persian [script needed] (parniyān). Suffixed to پرند (parand), پرنده (paranda) which gave the fabric-name فِرِنْد (firind).
Ge'ez
gez · 1 lemma- kneeFrom Proto-Semitic *birk- (“knee”). Cognate with Amharic ብርክ (bərk, “knee”), Tigrinya ብርኪ (bərki, “knee”).
Amharic
am · 3 lemmas- blessingCognate with Hebrew ברכה (b'rakha), Arabic بركة (baraka), and Maltese barka.
- to blessCognate with Hebrew בירך (beirakh), Arabic بَارَكَ (bāraka), and Maltese bierek
- kneeFrom Proto-Semitic *birk- (“knee”). From same root as በረከከ (bäräkäkä, “kneel”), ተንበረከከ (tänbäräkäkä, “kneel”). Cognate with Tigrinya ተምበርከኸ (tämbärkäxä, “kneel”).
Tigrinya
ti · 2 lemmas- kneeFrom Proto-Semitic *birk-, *bark- (“knee”). from same root as ተምበርከኸ (tämbärkäxä, “kneel”). Compare Ge'ez ብርክ (bərk), Amharic ብርክ (bərk).
- spotted
Turoyo
tru · 1 lemma- knee