Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/yawm-

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

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic *yam- (“day”). Cognate with Egyptian ỉmy (“sun (as an eye)”).

Noun

*yawm- m

1. day

   Antonym: *layl-

Inflection

Declension of *yawm-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*yawmum	*yawmāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*yawmam	*yawmayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*yawmim
possessive forms
1st person	*yawmī / *yawmVya	—	*yawmVni
2nd person m	*yawmVka	*yawmVkumā / *yawmVkumay	*yawmVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*yawmVki		*yawmVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*yawmVšu	*yawmVšumā / *yawmVšumay	*yawmVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*yawmVša		*yawmVšin(ā)

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: *yawmuya for nom. case, *yawmiya for gen. case, *yawmaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Eblaite: 𒀀𒉿𒈬 (a-wa-mu /⁠yawmū⁠/, “days”)
  • Akkadian: 𒌓 (ūmum)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: يَوْم (yawm)
      • Egyptian Arabic: يوم (yōm)
      • Gulf Arabic: يوم (yōm)
      • Hijazi Arabic: يوم (yōm)
      • Maltese: jum
      • Moroccan Arabic: يوم (yūm)
      • → Ottoman Turkish: یوم (yevm)
        • Turkish: yevm
      • → Persian: یوم (yowm)
        • → Urdu: یوم (yaum)
        • → Hindi: यौम (yaum), इय्याम (iyyām)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: יַוְמָא (yawmā) יוֹמָא (yōmā)
        • Classical Syriac: ܝܰܘܡܳܐ (yawmā)
        • Lishana Deni: יומא (yōma)
        • Classical Mandaic: ࡉࡅࡌ (ium)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: יוֹם (yom, yôm)
        • Phoenician: 𐤉𐤌 (ym)
          • Punic: 𐤉𐤌 (ym)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎊𐎎 (ym /⁠yōmu⁠/)
  • Old South Arabian: 𐩺𐩥𐩣 (ywm)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Ge'ez: ዮም (yom, “today”)
      • → Amharic: ዮም (yom)
    • Tigre: ዮም (yom, “today”)
    • Tigrinya: ሎም (lom), ሎሚ (lomi, “today”)
  • Modern South Arabian:
    • Mehri: yum (“day”)
    • Shehri: yum f (“sun; sunlight; light”), yum, yuhm, ɛ́m (“day”)
    • Soqotri: yōm

References

• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, pages 133–5