← All root families

f t l

23 lemmas · 7 languages
soundAll three consonants are regularT Exod.28.37
Themes:twist·6twisting·3turn·3cord·3spinning·2
POS shape:noun·12verb·9root·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-t-lProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Canaanite
Hebrewפִּתֵּלפ ת לto twist
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicפָּתַלפ ת לto twist, to spin
Syriacܦܬܠܐܦ ܬ ܠtwisting, spinning
Assyrian NAܦܵܬ݂ܹܠܦ ܬ ܠto turn (to change one's direction of travel)
Arabic
Arabicفَتَلَف ت لto twist, to plait
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezፈትልፈ ተ ለthread, yarn, cord
Tigrinyaፈተለፈ ተ ለto twist

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 · 2 lemmas
  • pātalverbinferredWiktionary ↗
    to twist, to spin
    From Proto-Semitic *patal-.
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    twisting, spinning

Classical Syriac

syc · 1 lemma
  • nounattestedWiktionary ↗
    twisting, spinning
    From the root ܦ ܬ ܠ related to twisting.

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

aii · 4 lemmas
  • pāṯēlverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to turn (to change one's direction of travel)
    Inherited from Aramaic פְּתַל (pəṯal), from Proto-Semitic *patal-; compare Arabic فَتَلَ (fatala), Hebrew פָּתַל (patál) and Akkadian 𒉺𒋫𒇻 (patālum)
  • maptilverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to turn, turn around
    Causative stem of the verb ܦܵܬ݂ܹܠ (pāṯēl, “to turn”).
  • mpartilverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to stagger, twist, throw
    Developed from ܦܵܬ݂ܹܠ (pāṯēl, “to twist”).
  • p t lrootinferredWiktionary ↗
    forming words pertaining to turning
    From Proto-Semitic; compare Hebrew פ־ת־ל (p-t-l) and Arabic ف ت ل (f t l)
    8 derivations

Hebrew

he · 5 lemmas
  • pitélverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to twist
  • p'tilnounattestedT Exod.28.37Wiktionary ↗
    cord, line
  • pitélverbinferredWiktionary ↗
    defective spelling of פיתל
  • patológnouninferredWiktionary ↗
    A pathologist.
  • patologíanouninferredWiktionary ↗
    pathology (the branch of medicine)

Arabic

ar · 8 lemmas
  • fatalaverbattested☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    to twist, to plait
    From the root ف ت ل (f t l), from Proto-Semitic *patal-.
  • fattalaverbattested☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    to twist, to plait
    From the root ف ت ل (f t l), from Proto-Semitic *patal-.
  • fatlnounattested☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    verbal noun of فَتَلَ (fatala) (form I)
    From the root ف ت ل (f t l), from Proto-Semitic *patal-.
  • fatlanounattested☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    instance noun of فَتْل (fatl)
  • fitlanounattested☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    manner of twisting
  • fatīlnounattested☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    any slender cord
  • fatīlanounattested☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    fuse, wick
  • fatīladjinferred☪︎ Q.4:49Wiktionary ↗
    twisted

Ge'ez

gez · 1 lemma

Tigrinya

ti · 2 lemmas

Related rootsshare 2 of 3 consonants with f-t-l

Compare two languages side-by-side