s m r
27 lemmas · 7 languages
soundAll three consonants are regularT Ps.119.120
Themes:nail·4night· لَيْل · לַיְלָה·4capital·3dark·2skinned·2
POS shape:noun·14name·6verb·4adj·3
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
*s-m-rProto-Semitic
East Semitic
AkkadianŠumerums m r— Sumer
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Canaanite
Hebrewמַסְמֵרס מ ר— nail (a spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials)
Aramaic
Syriacܣܡܘܪܐܣ ܡ ܪ— marten, sable, weasel
Assyrian NAܣܲܡܪܵܐܣ ܡ ܪ— tan, suntan (darkening of the skin)
Arabic
Arabicسَمَرَس م ر— to keep watch, preserve, to stay awake, to speak at night, to speak late at night, to live night-life, to be around at night (of people and animals)
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Amharicምስማርሰ መ ረ— nail
Tigrinyaመስመርሰ መ ረ— ruler
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 · 3 lemmas- SumerUnknown. Compare Biblical Hebrew שִׁנְעָר (šinʕɔ́r) and its listed cognates.
- The ancient capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel, modern Sebastia in the West BankFrom Biblical Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹן (šomə̆rón).
▸ 1 derivation
- relatedSāmerīnāya
- SamaritanFrom 𒆳𒊓𒈨𒊑𒈾 (Sāmerīna, “Samaria”) + -𒀀𒀀 (-a.a /-āya/, gentilic suffix).
Classical Syriac
syc · 1 lemma- marten, sable, weaselFrom Middle Persian smwl (/*samōr/). Compare Persian سمور (samur), Arabic سَمُّور (sammūr), and Hebrew סַמּוּר (sammûr), from the same source.
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
aii · 3 lemmas- tan, suntan (darkening of the skin)Borrowed from Arabic سَمَر (samar).
- squirrel (any of the rodents of the family Sciuridae)Borrowed from Middle Persian smwl (/*samōr/) or Central Kurdish سیمۆرە (sîmore, “squirrel”); compare Classical Syriac ܣܲܡܘܼܪܵܐ (sammūrā, “sable”), Persian سمور (samur, “sable”), Arabic سَمُّور (sammūr, “sable, marten”), and Hebrew סַמּוּר (samúr, “polecat”).
- dark-skinnedBorrowed from Arabic أَسْمَر (ʔasmar), through ܣܲܡܪܵܐ (samrā, “suntan, tan”) + -ܢܐ (-ānā, the adjectival ending). Doublet of ܐܲܣܡܲܪ (asmar).
▸ 1 derivation
- derivedܣܲܡܪܵܢܘܼܬ݂ܵܐsamrānūṯā
Hebrew
he · 8 lemmas- nail (a spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials)Spelling borrowed from Aramaic מַסְמְרָא (masmərā, “pin, nail”).
- to nail
- A polecat
- acronym of סַמָּל רִאשׁוֹן
- Asmara (the capital city of Eritrea)
- rag, mopProbably from Aramaic [Term?], saphel of מרט with partial reduplication.
▸ 1 derivation
- relatedסְמַרְטוּטָרsmartutár
- gall bladder (pear-shaped organ that stores bile)
- A smartphone.Borrowed from English smartphone.
Arabic
ar · 8 lemmas- to keep watch, preserve, to stay awake, to speak at night, to speak late at night, to live night-life, to be around at night (of people and animals)Compare Hebrew שמר (šamár, “to guard, save, keep watch”).
- a female given name, SamarCompare Hebrew שמר (šamár, “to guard, save, keep watch”).
- acacia, a plant of several species of the Acacieae tribeCompare Hebrew שמר (šamár, “to guard, save, keep watch”).
- dark-skinnedColor or defect adjective from the root س م ر (s m r).
- to be or become brown
- spiny rush (Juncus spinosus)From the root س م ر (s m r) meaning "to stand erect or jut out", "a bristle or thorn", "to nail", "to be studded".
- a male given name, Samir or Sameer
- to converse with each other in the evening
Amharic
am · 1 lemma- nailFrom Arabic مِسْمَار (mismār).
Tigrinya
ti · 3 lemmas- ruler
- nail (fastener)Compare Arabic مِسْمَار (mismār) and Hebrew מַסְמֵר (masmér).
- Asmara (the capital city of Eritrea)