gammalu

Akkadian

Etymology

Probably a loan from West Semitic, ultimately from Proto-West Semitic *gamal- (“camel”). Cognate with Arabic جَمَل (jamal) and Biblical Hebrew גָּמָל (gɔmɔ́l).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡam.ma.lu/

Noun

gammalu m (plural gammalû) (Neo-Assyrian)

1. camel
   • 721-705, Aššur-belu-taqqin's letter in Information on Sales of Camels and Other Business‎^[1], lines 5–6:

     𒅇 𒈠𒀀 𒁹𒂗 "𒀲𒃵𒂷" 𒀸 𒊮𒁉 𒁹 𒈫𒐈 𒈠𒈾 𒆬𒌓
     𒄿𒋛𒆥 𒀀𒈾 𒁹𒆳𒀀𒀀 𒇽𒄥𒁍𒋼

     u₃ ma-a 1-en ANŠE.gam-mal ina ŠA₃-bi 1 2:3 MA.NA [KUG.UD]
     i-si-qi a-na ᵐmad-a-a ^LU₂.qur-bu-te

     /u mā issēn gammal ina libbi 01 2:3 manê ṣarpi
     issiqi ana Madaya ša-qurbūte/

     Further, "He has bought one camel for 1 2/3 minas [of silver] and sold it to the bodyguard Madayu.

Alternative forms

• gamlu (Neo-Assyrian)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒃵𒂷 (GAM.MAL) 𒀲𒃵𒂷 (ANŠE.GAM.MAL) 𒀲𒀀𒀊𒁀 (ANŠE.A.AB.BA)	𒃵𒈠𒇻 (gam-ma-lu)

Derived terms

• gammališ (“like a camel”)

 

References

• “gammalu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011