Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʔarbaʕ-

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

Numeral

**Proto-Semitic numbers ^(edit)**
← 3	4	5 →
Cardinal: *ʔarbaʕ-

*ʔarbaʕ-

four

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 *ʔarbaʕ-

Case	m	f
Nominative	*ʔarbaʕum	*ʔarbaʕatum
Genitive	*ʔarbaʕim	*ʔarbaʕatim
Accusative	*ʔarbaʕam	*ʔarbaʕatam

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒐉 (erbet)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: أَرْبَعَة‎ (ʔarbaʕa)
    - Egyptian Arabic: أربعة‎ (ʔaṛbaʕa)
    - Maltese: erbgħa
    - Moroccan Arabic: ربعة‎ (rabʕa), أربعة‎ (ʔarbʕa)
  - Dadanitic: 𐪑𐪇𐪈𐪒‎ (ʾrbʿ)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic:
      Western Neo-Aramaic: ܐܪܒ݆ܥܐ‎ m (ʾarpʿa), ܐܪܒ݆ܥ‎ f (ʾarpaʿ)
      - Classical Syriac: ܐܰܪܒ݁ܥܳܐ‎ (ʾarbʿā)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: אַרְבָּעָה‎ ('arba'á, ʾarbāʿâ)
      - Phoenician: 𐤀𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤕‎ (ʾrbʿt)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎀𐎗𐎁𐎓𐎚 (ảrbʿt /ʾarbaʿatu/)
  - Safaitic: 𐪑𐪇𐪈𐪒‎ (ʾrbʿ /ʾarbaʿ/), 𐪑𐪇𐪈𐪒𐪉‎ (ʾrbʿt /ʾarbaʿat/)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Amharic: አራት (ʾärat)
  - Ge'ez: አርበዕቱ (ʾärbäʿtu)
  - Tigre: አርበዕ (ʾärbäʿ)
  - Tigrinya: ኣርባዕተ (ʾarbaʿtä)
→ Proto-Kartvelian: *arwa- (“eight”) (borrowed via a dual form)
- Proto-Georgian-Zan:
  - Old Georgian: რვაჲ (rvay)
    - Georgian: რვა (rva)
  - Zan:
    - Laz: ოვრო (ovro), ორვო (orvo)
    - Mingrelian: რუო (ruo), ბრუო (bruo)
- Svan: არა (ara)

References

Huehnergard, John (2019), “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN

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