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g n n

33 lemmas · 9 languages
geminateSecond and third consonants are identical (ḥ-b-b 'love'). Surface forms often show a doubled consonant (mediae geminatae).📜 Gen.3.23
Themes:garden·7shield·3demon·3buckler·2bed·2
POS shape:noun·24verb·4adj·3adv·1name·1

This root is attested across 9 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

*g-n-nProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Canaanite
Hebrewהַגָּןג נ ןsingular definite form of גן (gan): the garden
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicגנןג נ נto dwell, to inhabit
Syriacܓܢܝܐܓ ܢ ܢhiding place, shelter
Assyrian NAܡܲܓܵܢܓ ܢ ܢgratis, gratuitously, free of charge
Turoyoܓܢܢܐܓ ܢ ܢgardener
Arabic
Arabicجِنّج ن نspiritual or otherwise unseen, undetectable, masked, or morphed beings that may be benevolent or helpful (agathodaemons, eudaemons), neutral, or malevolent (cacodemons); demonkind, jinn, genies
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezጋንንገ ነ ነdemon
Amharicጋኔንገ ነ ነdemon
Tigrinyaጋኔንገ ነ ነdemon

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 · 1 lemma

Classical Syriac

syc · 7 lemmas
  • genyānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    hiding place, shelter
    From the root ܓ ܢ ܢ, related to protecting or hiding
  • gannəṯānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    garden, park
    From the root ܓ ܢ ܢ, originally meaning to protect or keep hidden, the lying down sense developing from reclining in gardens. Compare Akkadian 𒃶a𒈾𒌅 (/⁠gannatu⁠/, “vegetable garden, grove; private garden area”), Arabic جَنَّة (janna), and Hebrew גִּנָּה (ginnâ).
  • adjattestedWiktionary ↗
    armed, equipped (with a buckler)
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    absolute singular of ܡܓܢܐ
  • adjinferredWiktionary ↗
    masculine absolute singular of ܡܓܢܐ
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    emphatic plural of ܓܘܢܐ
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    bed, couch (especially bridal bed or chamber)
    From Akkadian 𒂷𒉣 (GA₂.NUN /⁠ganūnu⁠/).
    5 derivations

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

aii · 5 lemmas
  • maggānadvattestedWiktionary ↗
    gratis, gratuitously, free of charge
    Inherited from Aramaic מַגָּן (maggān), from Akkadian 𒁹𒈠𒂵𒉡 (ana magāni) which is considered ultimately a loanword from Indo-Iranian in origin; compare also borrowed into Arabic مَجَّان (majjān).
  • gannānānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    gardener, horticulturist
    Occupational noun derived from ܓܲܢܬ݂ܵܐ (ganṯā, “garden”)
  • ganṯānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    garden (piece of ground appropriated for the cultivation of fruits, herbs, flowers and vegetables)
    From Aramaic גַנְתָא (gannəṯā); related to Akkadian 𒃶𒈾𒌅 (/⁠gannatu⁠/, “vegetable garden, grove; private garden area”), Arabic جَنَّة (janna), and Hebrew גִּנָּה (ginná).
    6 derivations
  • mḡannānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    short buckler, round shield
    Learned borrowing from Classical Syriac, Tool noun of ܡܲܓܸܢ (maggin); compare Arabic مِجَنّ (mijann), Phoenician 𐤌𐤂𐤍 (mgn), and Hebrew מָגֵן (magén).
  • maggānāyāadjattestedWiktionary ↗
    free of charge, gratis
    From ܡܲܓܵܢ (maggān, “free of charge”, adverb) + -ܵܝܵܐ (-āyā, the attributive adjective ending); compare also Arabic مَجَّانِيّ (majjāniyy).

Hebrew

he · 8 lemmas
  • hagánnounattested📜 Gen.2.9Wiktionary ↗
    singular definite form of גן (gan): the garden
  • magénnounattested📜 Gen.3.23Wiktionary ↗
    shield (a broad piece of defensive armor, held in hand, formerly in general use in war, for the protection of the body)
    Cognate with Arabic مِجَنّ (mijann) and Phoenician 𐤌𐤂𐤍 (mgn).
    4 derivations
  • ginanounattested✡︎ m. Kil. 2:2Wiktionary ↗
    garden
  • haganánounattested✡︎ m. Ter. 8:3Wiktionary ↗
    defense, protection
    Verbal noun of הֵגֵן (hegén, “to defend, protect”).
  • ginúnnounattested📜 Isa.31.5Wiktionary ↗
    Gardening, horticulture: the care of a garden.
    Action noun of the verb גינן / גִּנֵּן (ginén).
  • gananútnounattestedWiktionary ↗
    horticulture, gardening
  • hitgonénverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to defend oneself
  • gannouninferred📜 Gen.2.8Wiktionary ↗
    a garden
    Probably a nominal from the same root as the Ancient Hebrew verb גָּנַן (“to defend, to protect”), and so having the etymological sense of "a protected thing". Compare Arabic جَنَّة (janna).

Arabic

ar · 8 lemmas
  • jinnnounattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    spiritual or otherwise unseen, undetectable, masked, or morphed beings that may be benevolent or helpful (agathodaemons, eudaemons), neutral, or malevolent (cacodemons); demonkind, jinn, genies
    Formally from the root ج ن ن (j n n), related to disappearance, hiding and concealment, though most likely a back-formation from جِنِّي (jinnī), derived from Classical Syriac ܓܢܝ (gnē, “spirit, genie”), or its emphatic form Aramaic גניא (ginnāyā) or Classical Syriac ܓܢܝܐ (genyā), also meaning "a tutelary deity" or…
  • junnaverbattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    to be possessed
    Denominal verb from جِنّ (jinn, “jinn; spirit, demon”), leveled to the root ج ن ن (j n n).
  • jānnnounattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    snake, serpent
    Has the form derived from the active participle, as if from جَنَّ (janna, “to hide”) (in the passive جُنَّ (junna, “to go crazy”)).
  • jannanounattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    garden
    Related to جَنّ (jann, “covering, protecting”), the sense of a paradise being borrowed from Classical Syriac ܓܰܢܬܳܐ (gannəṯā). Compare Hebrew גַּן (gan), Aramaic גִּנָּא (ginnā), Ugaritic 𐎂𐎐 (gn).
    3 derivations
  • mijannnounattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    a shield
    Tool noun from the root ج ن ن (j n n). Cognate to Classical Syriac ܡܓܶܢܳܐ (məgennā, “shield”), Phoenician 𐤌𐤂𐤍 (mgn, “shield”), and Hebrew מָגֵן (māgén, “shield”).
  • janīnnounattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    embryo, foetus
  • jinīnnameattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    Jenin (a city in the West Bank, Palestine)
    Grammatically belongs to the root ج ن ن (j n n).
  • junna junūnanverbattested☪︎ Q.2:25Wiktionary ↗
    to go crazy

Ge'ez

gez · 1 lemma
  • ganənnouninferredWiktionary ↗
    demon
    From Proto-Semitic; compare Amharic and Tigrinya ጋኔን (ganen), Arabic جِنّ (jinn).

Amharic

am · 1 lemma
  • ganennouninferredWiktionary ↗
    demon
    From Proto-Semitic; compare Ge'ez ጋንን (ganən) and Arabic جِنّ (jinn).

Tigrinya

ti · 1 lemma
  • ganennouninferredWiktionary ↗
    demon
    From Proto-Semitic; compare Ge'ez ጋንን (ganən) and Arabic جِنّ (jinn).

Turoyo

tru · 1 lemma

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