← All root families

b r q

35 lemmas · 11 languages
soundAll three consonants are regular📜 Deut.32.41
Themes:lightning· بَرْق · בָּרָק·12flash· وَمْضَة · הֶבְזֵק·4gleam·2electricity·2telegram·2
POS shape:noun·18verb·10adj·4prep·1name·1intj·1

This root is attested across 11 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-rProto-Semitic
East Semitic
Akkadianbirqumb r qlightning
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Ugaritic𐎁𐎗𐎖𐎁 𐎗 𐎖lightning
Canaanite
Hebrewבָּרָקב ר קlightning (atmospheric flash of light)
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicברקב ר קto gleam, to flash
Syriacܒܪܩܐܒ ܪ ܩlightning
Assyrian NAܒܵܪܹܩܒ ܪ ܩto flash, gleam
Arabic
Arabicبَرَقَب ر قto produce lightning
South Semitic
Old South Arabian
OSA𐩨𐩧𐩤𐩨 𐩧 𐩤lightning
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezበረቀበ ረ ቀto lightning
Amharicመብረቅበ ר קlightning
Tigrinyaምብራቕበ ረ ቐeast

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
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    lightning
    From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ- (“lightning”). Cognate with Arabic بَرْق (barq) or Biblical Hebrew בָּרָק (bɔrɔ́q).

Ugaritic

irregular reflexug · 1 lemma
  • brqnouninferredWiktionary ↗
    lightning
    From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ-.

Old South Arabian

irregular reflexosa · 1 lemma

Imperial Aramaic

arc · 2 lemmas
  • verbinferred𐡀 tg. Jon. Josh 19:45Wiktionary ↗
    to gleam, to flash
  • barqānouninferred𐡀 tg. Onk. Deut 32:41Wiktionary ↗
    lightning
    From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ-.

Classical Syriac

syc · 1 lemma
  • barqānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    lightning
    From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ- (“lightning”); compare Arabic بَرْق (barq), Hebrew בָּרָק (bārāq).

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

aii · 8 lemmas
  • bārēqverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to flash, gleam
    Inherited from Aramaic בְּרַק (bəraq); compare Arabic بَرَقَ (baraqa).
    1 derivation
  • birqānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    lightning (high voltage between a cloud and the ground accompanied by a bright flash)
    Inherited from Aramaic בַּרקָא (barqā), from Proto-Semitic *baraḳ- (“lightning”); compare Arabic بَرْق (barq), Hebrew בָּרָק (barák). The latter noun is an occupational noun derived from the former.
    3 derivations
  • barrāqānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    electrician
    Inherited from Aramaic בַּרקָא (barqā), from Proto-Semitic *baraḳ- (“lightning”); compare Arabic بَرْق (barq), Hebrew בָּרָק (barák). The latter noun is an occupational noun derived from the former.
  • mbarriqverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to electrify
    Intensitive stem denominal from ܒܸܪܩܵܐ (birqā, “lightning; electricity”) and causitive stem of the verb ܒܵܪܹܩ (bārēq).
  • bāriqtānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    jewel, precious stone, gem, gemstone (especially an emerald)
    Also attested in Classical Syriac ܒܪܩܐ (bārqā), from Biblical Hebrew בָּרֶקֶת (bāréqeṯ).
  • birqāyāadjinferredWiktionary ↗
    electric, electrical (of or pertaining to electricity, or powered by electricity)
    From ܒܸܪܩܵܐ (birqā, “lightning; electricity”) + -ܝܐ (-āyā, the attributive adjective ending).
  • barquḇlprepinferredWiktionary ↗
    opposite, on the other side, across, over the way from
    Diverged from ܕܲܠܩܘܼܒ݂ܠ (dalquḇl, “against (figurative sense)”) or from ܒ- (b-, “in”)+Aramaic לְקֻבֵּל (“lqūḇel”, literally “opposite”). The pronunciation with /r/ rather than /l/ may be due to influence from the Kurdish loanword ܒܵܪܵܐ (bārā, “side”).
    1 derivation
  • barqōqānouninferredWiktionary ↗
    plum (oval fleshy fruit of dark red or purple colour)
    Learned borrowing from Classical Syriac, from Ancient Greek πραικόκῐον (praikókĭon), ultimately from Latin praecox (“ripe”); compare also borrowed into Arabic بَرْقُوق (barqūq).

Hebrew

he · 7 lemmas
  • baráknounattested📜 Deut.32.41Wiktionary ↗
    lightning (atmospheric flash of light)
    From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ-.
    1 derivation
  • baráknameattested📜 Deut.32.41Wiktionary ↗
    Barak (the commander of the army of Deborah in the Old Testament)
    From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ-.
  • barkánnounattestedWiktionary ↗
    thistle
  • hivríkverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to lustre
  • mavríkadjattestedWiktionary ↗
    glossy
  • mivráknouninferredWiktionary ↗
    telegram
    Coined by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda based upon Arabic بَرْقِيَّة (barqiyya). See בָּרָק (barák, “lightning”).
  • mabrúkintjinferredWiktionary ↗
    congratulations
    Borrowed from Arabic مَبْرُوك (mabrūk, “congratulations”, interjection).

Arabic

ar · 8 lemmas
  • baraqaverbattested☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗
    to produce lightning
    From the root ب ر ق (b r q). From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ- (“lightning”), although Fronzaroli states that the noun "lightning" may be a deverbal form, in which case only the verb would be inherited.
  • barqnounattested☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗
    verbal noun of بَرَقَ (baraqa) (form I)
    From the root ب ر ق (b r q). From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ- (“lightning”), although Fronzaroli states that the noun "lightning" may be a deverbal form, in which case only the verb would be inherited.
  • ʔabraqaverbattested☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗
    to make bolts of lightning
  • ʔabruquverbattested☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗
  • barrāqadjattested☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗
    shining; lustrous
    Morphologically from the root ب ر ق (b r q).
  • barqiyyanounattested☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗
    telegram
  • ubruqverbinferred☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗
  • baraqtuverbinferred☪︎ Q.2:19Wiktionary ↗

Ge'ez

gez · 1 lemma
  • bäräḳäverbinferredWiktionary ↗
    to lightning
    From Proto-Semitic *baraḳ- (“lightning”). Cognate with Hebrew בָּרַק, Arabic بَرَقَ (baraqa).

Amharic

am · 2 lemmas

Tigrinya

ti · 3 lemmas
  • məbrax̣nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    east
  • bərč̣əx̣nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    watermelon
  • məbrax̣awiadjinferredWiktionary ↗
    eastern
    From ምብራቕ (məbrax̣, “east”) + -ዊ (-wi).

Related rootsshare 2 of 3 consonants with b-r-q

Compare two languages side-by-side