← All root families

z m r

48 lemmas · 10 languages
soundAll three consonants are regular📜 1Chr.7.8
Themes:sing·9singer·6song·6singing·5music·4
POS shape:noun·35verb·12adj·1

This root is attested across 10 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

*z-m-rProto-Semitic
East Semitic
Akkadianzumrumz m r— body (of humans, animals, objects, etc.)
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Ugaritic𐎇𐎎𐎗𐎇 𐎎 𐎗— antelope
Canaanite
Hebrewזַמָּרז מ ר— singer
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicזמרז מ ר— to sing
Syriacܙܡܪܙ ܡ ܪ— to sing
Assyrian NAܙܵܡܹܪܙ ܡ ܪ— to sing (to produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice)
Arabic
Arabicزَمَرَز م ر— to play a reed instrument
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezዘመረዘ መ ረ— to sing
Amharicዘመረዘ መ ረ— to sing
Tigrinyaመዝሙርዘ መ ረ— song

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 · 2 lemmas
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    body (of humans, animals, objects, etc.)
    Unknown.
  • verbinferredWiktionary ↗
    to sing (with or without instrumental accompaniment)
    From Proto-Semitic *zamar- (“to make music”). Cognate with Arabic زَمَرَ (zamara, “to play a reed instrument”) and Biblical Hebrew זִמֵּר (zimmer, “to sing”).

Ugaritic

irregular reflexug · 2 lemmas

Imperial Aramaic

arc · 3 lemmas
  • verbinferred𐡀 tg. Onk. Gen 4:21Wiktionary ↗
    to sing
    From Proto-Semitic *zamar-.
  • nouninferred𐡀 tg. Jer. Num 34:15Wiktionary ↗
    singing, music
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    singer, musician

Classical Syriac

syc · 8 lemmas
  • zəmarverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to sing
    Compare Arabic زَمَرَ (zamara) and Hebrew זִמֵּר (zimmēr).
  • nounattestedWiktionary ↗
    song, singing
    From the root ܙ ܡ ܪ related to singing. Compare Arabic زَمْر (zamr) and Hebrew זֶמֶר (zémer).
  • zammārtānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    female equivalent of ܙܡܪܐ (zammārā)
  • zamrūrānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    flute
  • nounattestedWiktionary ↗
    musicianship, music
    From ܙܡܪܐ (zammārā, “singer”) + -ܘܬܐ (-ūṯā).
  • nouninferredWiktionary ↗
    absolute singular of ܙܡܪܐ
  • adjinferredWiktionary ↗
    steel grey
  • zəmīrtanouninferredWiktionary ↗
    song, chant, hymn, psalm, melody
    Compare Biblical Hebrew זְמִירָה (zəmīrɔ̂).

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

aii · 8 lemmas
  • zāmērverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to sing (to produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice)
    From Aramaic זְמַר (zəmar), from Proto-Semitic *zamar-; compare Hebrew זִמֵּר (zimér), Akkadian 𒍝𒈠𒊒𒌝 (zamārum) and Arabic زَمَرَ (zamara).
  • zmārānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    singing
    Verbal noun of ܙܵܡܹܪ (zāmēr, “to sing”).
  • zimrānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    music (especially folk music)
    Of the noun pattern 1i23ā; compare Arabic زَمْر (zamr) and Hebrew זֶמֶר (zémer).
  • zammārānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    singer
    Occupational noun derived from the above; compare Arabic زَمَّار (zammār) and Hebrew זַמָּר (zammár).
  • mzammirverbattestedWiktionary ↗
    to praise with hymn, sing hymns
    Intensitive stem of the verb ܙܵܡܹܪ (zāmēr, “to sing”) with the latter sense a semantic loan from Arabic زَمَّرَ (zammara).
  • zammārtānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    female equivalent of ܙܲܡܵܪܵܐ (zammārā); singer
    Feminine active noun of the verb ܙܵܡܹܪ (zāmēr, “to sing”).
  • zmārtānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    instance of singing
    Instance noun of the verb ܙܵܡܹܪ (zāmēr, “to sing”).
  • zimōrtānounattestedWiktionary ↗
    song
    Feminine of the noun pattern 1i22ō3ā.

Hebrew

he · 8 lemmas
  • zamárnounattested✡︎ m. Kel. 16:7Wiktionary ↗
    singer
    From Proto-Semitic *zamar-.
  • zimérverbattested✡︎ m. Kel. 16:7Wiktionary ↗
    defective spelling of זימר.
    From Proto-Semitic *zamar-.
  • zémernounattested✡︎ m. Kel. 16:7Wiktionary ↗
    one of the seven kosher beasts, whose identity is unknown. Probably the mountain sheep. Further details are uncertain.
  • zamírnounattested📜 Isa.25.5Wiktionary ↗
    nightingale
  • zimránounattested📜 Ps.81.3Wiktionary ↗
    singing
  • zamrírnounattestedWiktionary ↗
    jingle (A short tune or verse, especially one used to advertise.)
    Partial reduplication of זֶמֶר.
  • mizmórnounattested📜 Ps.3.1Wiktionary ↗
    a psalm (sacred song) or (hymn collected into one book of the Hebrew Bible)
    Compare Arabic مِزْمَار (mizmār, “mizmar”), Ge'ez መዝሙር (mäzmur, “psalm”).
  • mazmeránounattestedWiktionary ↗
    shears

Arabic

ar · 8 lemmas
  • zamaraverbattested☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    to play a reed instrument
    From Proto-Semitic *zamar-. From the root ز م ر (z m r). Compare Hebrew זימר / זִמֵּר (zimér).
  • zumranounattested☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    community, group of people, gang, class, troop
  • mazmūrnounattested☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    psalm
    Morphologically from the root ز م ر (z m r).
  • istazmaraverbattested☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    to contract, to diminish, to become weak
  • zumarnouninferred☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    plural of زُمْرَة (zumra)
    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
  • zumurrudnouninferred☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    emerald
    From Persian زمرد (zumurrud /zomorrod), from earlier ازمرد (uzmurud /ozmorod), from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (ʾwzmbwlt /⁠uzumburd⁠/), from Ancient Greek σμάραγδος (smáragdos). Doublet of زَبَرْجَد (zabarjad).
  • mizmārnouninferred☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    mizmar, a traditional Arabic wind instrument with a double or single reed
    Tool noun from the verb زَمَرَ (zamara, “to blow”).
  • mazāmīrnouninferred☪︎ Q.39:71Wiktionary ↗
    plural of مِزْمَار (mizmār)

Ge'ez

gez · 4 lemmas

Amharic

am · 4 lemmas

Tigrinya

ti · 1 lemma

Related rootsshare 2 of 3 consonants with z-m-r

Compare two languages side-by-side

akk ↔ ugakk ↔ arcakk ↔ sycakk ↔ aiiakk ↔ he