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-

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

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