epēšum

Akkadian

Root
'-p-š
1 term

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ḥapaś- (to search, gather). Cognate with Arabic حَفَشَ (ḥafaša, “to gather”) and Biblical Hebrew חָפַשׂ (ḥɔp̄áś, “to search”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /eˈpeː.ʃum/

Verb

epēšum (G, a-u, durative ippeš, perfect ītepeš, preterite īpuš, imperative epuš) (from Old Assyrian/Old Babylonian on)

1. (intransitive) to act, behave, proceed, be(come) active
2. (transitive) to do, make, build, manufacture
3. (transitive) to do, carry out, excercise (a function), used mainly in idiomatic phrases.

Usage notes

The class u inflection appears in later Babylonian texts.

Conjugation

Conjugation
Infinitive		epēšum
Participle		ēpišum
Adjective		epšum
Active		Durative	Perfect	Preterite	Imperative
1.sg		eppeš	ētepeš	ēpuš	lūpuš
2.sg	m	teppeš	tētepeš	tēpuš	epuš
	f	teppešī	tētepšī	tēpušī	epšī
3.sg		ippeš	ītepeš	īpuš	līpuš
1.pl		nippeš	nītepeš	nīpuš	i nīpuš
2.pl		teppešā	tētepšā	tēpušā	epšā
3.pl	m	ippešū	ītepšū	īpušū	līpušū
	f	ippešā	ītepšā	īpušā	līpušā
This table gives Old Babylonian inflection. For conjugation in other dialects, see Appendix:Akkadian dialectal conjugation.

Alternative forms

• epēšu (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒆕 (DU₃) 𒀝 (AK, AG) (occasionally) 𒄀 (GI) (occasionally)	𒂊𒉿𒋗 (e-pe-šu) 𒂊𒉿𒋙 (e-pe-šu₂)

Derived terms

• epištum (“deed”)
• epšum (“built; prepared; cultivated”)
• ipšum (“action; sorcery”)
• ēpišum (“builder, artisan; sorcerer”)

 

References

• “epēšu”, 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) “epēšu(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag