ālum

See also: alum and alúm

Akkadian

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔahl- (“tent camp”). Cognate with Arabic أَهْل (ʔahl, “kinfolk”) and Biblical Hebrew אֹהֶל (ʔóhɛl, “tent”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈaː.lum/

Noun

ālum m (construct state āl or āli, plural ālānū or ālānû) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. city, town

   𒀀𒈝 𒂊𒇻𒌑𒌝 [ālum elûm] ― a-lum e-lu-u₂-um ― upper city

   𒁕𒀀𒀀𒉡 𒀀𒈾 𒁍𒄷𒌨 𒀀𒇷𒅎 𒅋𒇷𒆪

   [dayyānū ana puḫur ālim illikū]

   da-a-a-nu a-na pu-ḫu-ur a-li-im il-li-ku

   The judges went to the assembly of the city.

2. village, manor, estate
3. fort, military strongpoint

Alternative forms

• ālu (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic	Mixed
𒌷 (URU) 𒌷𒆠 (URU.KI) 𒌷𒎌 (URU.MEŠ) (plural) 𒌷𒌷 (URU.URU) (plural) 𒌷𒐀 (URU.DIDLI) (plural)	𒀀𒈝 (a-lum) 𒀀𒇻 (a-lu) 𒀀𒇷𒅎 (a-li-im) (genitive) 𒀀𒅆 (a-lim) (genitive) 𒀀𒆷𒄠 (a-la-am) (accusative) 𒀀𒇴 (a-lam) (accusative) 𒀀𒀠 (a-al) (state construct)	𒌷𒈝 (URU-lum) 𒌷𒇴 (URU-lam) (accusative)

References

• “ālu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “ālu(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag