Ancient Greek words from Akkadian
6 Ancient Greek words with Akkadian in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
γρύψ
The origin is uncertain. Rosół considers it probably a Semitic loanword, from the word seen in borrowed from Akkadian karūbu (“a protective genius”) and Biblical Hebrew כרוב (kərûḇ, “cherub”), which…
γύψος
It is probably a Semitic loanword. Rosół's source is borrowed from Akkadian gaṣṣu (“gypsum”), with Aramaic and Syriac gaṣṣā and Arabic ǧiṣṣ, noting that Semitic /ṣ/ rendered as ψ has no parallel in…
ἴασπις
It is an Oriental loanword, probably borrowed from Akkadian yašpû (“jasper”) or a related Semitic form, the name of a stone; compare Biblical Hebrew יָשְׁפֵה (yāšpeh, “jasper”). Rosół counts it…
κάννα
It is borrowed from Akkadian qanû (“reed”), a word that may itself come from Sumerian. Rosół counts it among the Semitic loanwords in Greek, and PHILOGLOSSA rates the Semitic origin as very…
μνᾶ
It is a Semitic loanword, ultimately from Akkadian manû (“mina”), the Mesopotamian unit of weight. Wiktionary takes it through Aramaic, and Szemerényi posits Phoenician *mənē as its immediate…
σεμίδαλις
It is a loanword from the Near East, borrowed from Akkadian samīdu (“a kind of fine flour or groats”) or a related Semitic word, compared also with Classical Syriac ܣܡܝܕܐ (smīḏā, “fine flour”) and…