f r ḥ
31 lemmas · 7 languages
soundAll three consonants are regularT Exod.9.9
Themes:fly·4flying·3bird· طَيْر · צִפּוֹר·3bat·3happy·3
POS shape:noun·18verb·11root·1adj·1
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
*p-r-ḥProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Canaanite
Hebrewפֶּרַחפ ר ח— flower
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicפְּרַחפ ר ח— to fly
Syriacܦܪܚܦ ܪ ܚ— to fly
Assyrian NAܦܵܪܹܚܦ ܪ ܚ— to fly (by one’s own power, like a bird)
Arabic
Arabicفَرِحَف ر ح— to be happy, to be glad, to be merry, to be joyful, to exult, to rejoice (بِ (bi) in)
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezፍርሀትפ ר ח— fear
Tigrinyaፍርሃትפ ר ח— alternative form of ፍርሓት (fərḥat, “fear”)
Branch structure: Huehnergard (2005), Rubin (2010). The reconstructed Proto-Semitic form is computed on the fly from the cognate set's majority reflex pattern.
Imperial Aramaic
arc · 3 lemmas- to fly
- form of of פרחא
- flower
Classical Syriac
syc · 3 lemmas- to flyCompare Hebrew פָּרַח (pāraḥ).
- any flying creature; bird, insectFrom the root ܦ ܪ ܚ related to flying. Compare Arabic فَرْخَة (farḵa).
- bat (animal)Either from the root ܦ ܪ ܚ related to flying or from Arabic خُفْدُود (ḵufdūd).
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
aii · 7 lemmas- to fly (by one’s own power, like a bird)From Aramaic פְּרַח (pəraḥ); related to Hebrew פָּרַח (parákh, “to blossom; to flourish”) and Arabic فَرْخ (farḵ, “chick, sprout”).
- to waste, squanderIntensitive and causative stems of the verb ܦܵܪܹܚ (pārēḥ).
- to cause to flyIntensitive and causative stems of the verb ܦܵܪܹܚ (pārēḥ).
- bat (any flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous)In other Aramaic varieties as Aramaic חרפדא (ḥrpd’), possibly related to or influenced under the root ܦܵܪܹܚ (pārēḥ, “to fly”). Compare Arabic خُفْدُود (ḵufdūd).
- butterflyFrom the active participle of the verb ܦܵܪܹܚ (pārēḥ, “to fly”) + -ܘܿܢܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ (-ōnīṯā, the diminuitive ending).
▸ 3 derivations
- relatedܦܵܪܲܚܬܵܐpāraḥtā
- relatedܦܵܪܚܲܬ݂ ܠܲܝܠܹܐpārḥaṯ laylē
- relatedܛܝܼܠܵܝܬܵܐṭīlāytā
- forming words pertaining to flying (traveling through the air by one's own power)Compare Hebrew פ־ר־ח (p-r-ḥ).
- batLiterally, “Flier of the night”.
Hebrew
he · 8 lemmas- flowerCognate with Arabic فَرْخ (farḵ, “chick, sprout”), Maltese ferħ (“chick”), Aramaic פְּרַח, ܦܪܰܚ (pəraḥ, “to fly”), Ge'ez ፈርኅ (färḫ, “chick”), ፈርኀ (färḫä, “to sprout, to germinate”).
▸ 1 derivation
- relatedצָץ
- to blossom, bloom; to flourishCognate with Arabic فَرْخ (farḵ, “chick, sprout”), Maltese ferħ (“chick”), Aramaic פְּרַח, ܦܪܰܚ (pəraḥ, “to fly”), Ge'ez ፈርኅ (färḫ, “chick”), ፈርኀ (färḫä, “to sprout, to germinate”).
- blossom
- inflorescence
- An extroverted and unintelligent woman who is flamboyant in dress and behaviour, usually Sephardic; bimbo, hoochie.Uncertain; sometimes said to be a corruption of Arabic فَرْحَة (farḥa, “joy”), used as a female name by Iraqi Jews. Compare also German frech (“naughty, cheeky”).
- hobbledehoy
- chick (a young bird), especially one that is independent from its hatching.Compare with Arabic فرخ (farḵ, “a sprout, a bird chick”).
- to-infinitive of פרח
Arabic
ar · 8 lemmas- to be happy, to be glad, to be merry, to be joyful, to exult, to rejoice (بِ (bi) in)
- to make glad, happy
- gay lad, jolly youthAugmented from the root ف ر ح (f r ḥ); some Northeastern peninsula dialects like the Šiḥūḥ have shifts of ḥ to h; note also the ancient Omani tribe name بَنُو فُرْهُود (banū furhūd), الْفَرَاهِيد (al-farāhīd), whence the nisba of the Oman-born originator of the kitāb al-ʿayn derives.
- lion cubAugmented from the root ف ر ح (f r ḥ); some Northeastern peninsula dialects like the Šiḥūḥ have shifts of ḥ to h; note also the ancient Omani tribe name بَنُو فُرْهُود (banū furhūd), الْفَرَاهِيد (al-farāhīd), whence the nisba of the Oman-born originator of the kitāb al-ʿayn derives.
- verbal noun of فَرَّحَ (farraḥa) (form II)Etymology tree
- happy, merry, joyfulCompare فَرِحَ (fariḥa, “to be happy”).
Ge'ez
gez · 1 lemma- fear
Tigrinya
ti · 1 lemma- alternative form of ፍርሓት (fərḥat, “fear”)