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Re: חזיר, 'boar, hog, pig, swine'. An attempted etymology

Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 1:33 pm
by Isaac Fried
Yes! a גמל is a mega - animal.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Re: חזיר, 'boar, hog, pig, swine'. An attempted etymology

Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 8:06 pm
by Isaac Fried
This is what Gesenius has to say about the etymology of אֶצְבַּע ECBA, 'finger':
"I. צָבַע i. q. صبغ TO DIP IN, TO IMMERSE, hence to dye, to tinge (cogn. to טָבַע, which see); whence צֶבַע something dyed, and אֶצְבַּע a finger, especially the forefinger, so called from being dipped into things, although the Arab. اصبع is written with ع."
So, is אֶצְבַּע so called because we stick it, מטביעים אותה, into our nose, or because the fingers stick מעוצבים נצבים out of the palm of the hand like עשב ESEB, 'blades of grass'?

Isaac Fried, Boston University