šiprum

Akkadian

Root
š-p-r
3 terms

Etymology

Verbal noun of 𒊭𒉺𒀸 (šapārum, “to send to”). The sense development is akin to Classical Greek ἐπιστολή (epistolḗ, “message, letter”) from ἐπῐστέλλειν (epĭstéllein, “to send to”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈʃip.rum/

Noun

šiprum m (construct state šipir, plural šiprū) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. message, report, commission
2. (Old Akkadian, Old Assyrian) messenger

   Synonym: 𒌉𒅆𒅁𒊑𒅎 (mār šiprim)

3. work, task, activity, mission

Alternative forms

• šipru (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒆥 (KIN)	𒅆𒅁𒀸 (ši-ip-rum) 𒈨𒀸 (šip-rum) 𒅆𒅁𒊒 (ši-ip-ru) 𒋛𒅁𒊒 (ši₂-ip-ru) 𒈨𒊒 (šip-ru)

Descendants

• → Aramaic: סִפְרָא (sip̄rā), ܣܶܦܪܳܐ (sep̄rā, “book, scroll”)
  • → Arabic: سِفْر (sifr, “book”)
• → Biblical Hebrew: סֵפֶר (sép̄ɛr, “letter; document, book, scroll”)
  • → Israeli Hebrew: ספר (séfer, “book”)
• → Ugaritic: 𐎒𐎔𐎗 (spr, “tablet; writing; letter”)

References

• “šipru”, 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) “šipru(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, via the electronic Babylonian Library