abum

See also: Abum

Akkadian

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔabw- (“father”). Cognate with Arabic أَب (ʔab) and Biblical Hebrew אָב (ʔɔḇ).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.bum/

Noun

abum m (construct state abi, pronominal state abū or abā or abī, plural abbū) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. father
   • 1755–1750 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon, translated by OMNIKA Foundation, Hammurabi Code‎^[1], The Louvre, Law 195:

     𒋳𒈠 𒌉 𒀀𒁀𒋗 𒅎𒋫𒄩𒊍 𒈩𒇲𒋗 𒄿𒈾𒀝𒆠𒋢

     [šumma mārum abāšu imtaḫaṣ rittašu inakkisū]

     šum-ma DUMU A.BA-šu im-ta-ḫa-aṣ KIŠIB.LA₂-šu i-na-ak-ki-su

     If a son has struck his father, his hand will be cut off.

2. ancestor, forefather

Alternative forms

• abu (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒀜 (AD) 𒀀𒁀 (A.BA) 𒀊𒁀 (AB.BA)	𒀀𒁍𒌝 (a-bu-um) 𒀀𒁍 (a-bu) 𒀀𒁉𒅎 (a-bi-im) (genitive) 𒀀𒁉 (a-bi) (genitive, construct state)

Derived terms

• abbūtum

 

Related terms

• abi abim
• abi ummim

 

References

• “abu A”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “abu(m) I”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag