Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/baʕl-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic

Noun

*baʕl- m

1. husband, master, lord

Inflection

Declension of *baʕl-

Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*baʕlum	*baʕlāna	plural stem + *-ūna
Genitive	*baʕlim	*baʕlayna	plural stem + *-īna
Accusative	*baʕlam
possessive forms
1st person	*baʕlī / *baʕlVya	—	*baʕlVni
2nd person m	*baʕlVka	*baʕlVkumā / *baʕlVkumay	*baʕlVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*baʕlVki		*baʕlVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*baʕlVšu	*baʕlVšumā / *baʕlVšumay	*baʕlVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*baʕlVša		*baʕlVšin(ā)
Note: the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *baʕluya for nom. case, *baʕliya for gen. case, *baʕlaya for acc. case, etc. Declension of 2sg m. possessive form (your/thy m.) *baʕl- Singular Dual Plural Nominative *baʕluka *baʕlāka plural stem + *-ūka Genitive *baʕlika *baʕlayka plural stem + *-īka Accusative *baʕlaka Declension of 2sg f. possessive form (your/thy f.) *baʕl- Singular Dual Plural Nominative *baʕluki *baʕlāki plural stem + *-ūki Genitive *baʕliki *baʕlayki plural stem + *-īki Accusative *baʕlaki

Derived terms

• *baʕlat- (“mistress, lady”)

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒂗 (bēlum)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: بَعْل (baʕl)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: בַּעְלָא (baʿlā)
        • Classical Syriac: ܒܱ݁ܥܠܳܐ (baʿlā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: בַּעַל (bá'al, báʿal)
        • Phoenician: 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (bʿl)
          • Punic: 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (bʿl)
          • → English: Baal, baal
      • Ugaritic: 𐎁𐎓𐎍 (bʿl /⁠baʿlu⁠/), 𒁀𒀪𒇻 (ba-ʾa-lu)
    • Old South Arabian
      • Old South Arabian: 𐩨𐩲𐩡 (bʿl)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Amharic: ባል (bal)
    • Ge'ez: በዓል (bäʿal)
    • Tigrinya: በዓል (bäʿal)
  • Modern South Arabian:
    • Mehri: bāl (“owner”), abɛ́li (“God”)
    • Shehri: báʕal (“owner”), bʕéhl (“owner”), ʔɔʕź (“God”), ʔɔ̄ʕź (“God”), ʔɔ́ʕɔź (“God”)
    • Soqotri: baʕ- (“owner”, with pronominal suffixes only), di-báḥlʼe (“the owner of”, before nouns only), báʕlʼhi (“my Lord”)

References

• Kogan, Leonid (2015) Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN
• Kogan, Leonid (2019) “Additions and Corrections to Wolf Leslau's Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (1987–2017)”, in Journal of the American Oriental Society, volume 139, number 4, →DOI, page 895 to 84
• Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN