Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/šabʕ-

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

Alternative reconstructions

• *sₓabʕ-

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Afroasiatic *sṗɣ (“seven”). Compare with Egyptian sfḫw and Proto-Berber *saβ (whence Central Atlas Tamazight ⵙⴰ (sa)). It is often theorized to be the source for Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥.

Numeral

Proto-Semitic numbers ^(edit)

←  6	7	8  →
Cardinal: *šabʕ-

*šabʕ-

1. seven

Usage notes

This number exhibited chiastic concord (gender polarity), in which masculine forms were used to agree with feminine nouns, and feminine forms with masculine nouns.

Inflection

Declension of *šabʕ-

Case	m	f
Nominative	*šabʕum	*šabʕatum
Genitive	*šabʕim	*šabʕatim
Accusative	*šabʕam	*šabʕatam

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒐌 (sebet)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: سَبْعَة (sabʕa)
      • Egyptian Arabic: سبعة (sabʕa)
      • Maltese: sebgħa
      • Moroccan Arabic: سبعة (sabʕa)
      • → Swahili: saba
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: שַׁבעָא (šabʿā), שְבַע (šəbaʿ)

        Western Neo-Aramaic: ܫܒܥܐ (šobʿa), ܐܫܒܥ (ʾešbaʿ)

        • Classical Syriac: ܫܰܒܥܳܐ (šaḇʿā), ܫܒܰܥ (šəḇaʿ)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: שִׁבְעָה (shiv'á, šiḇʿâ), שֶׁבַע (shéva', šéḇaʿ)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎌𐎁𐎓𐎚 (šbʿt /⁠šabʿatu⁠/)
    • Dadanitic: 𐪊𐪈𐪒 (s¹bʿ)
    • Safaitic: 𐪊𐪈𐪒 (s¹bʿ /⁠sabʿ⁠/)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Amharic: ሰባት (säbat)
    • Ge'ez: ሰብዐቱ (säbʿätu), ሰብዑ (säbʿu)
    • Tigre: ሰቡዕ (säbuʿ)
    • Tigrinya: ሸውዓተ (šäwʿatä)

References

• Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN, page 61