List of loanwords in Classical Syriac

Loanwords in Classical Syriac Aramaic entered the language throughout different periods in the history of Mesopotamia. The Alexandrian and Seleucid rule along with interaction with their fellow citizens of the Greco-Roman world of the Fertile Crescent resulted in the adoption of numerous Greek words. The majority of these were nouns relating to Roman administration, such as officials, military, and law.^[1] The largest group of loanwords come from Greek and is followed by Iranian loans, although words from Sumerian, Akkadian, and Latin are also passed on in varying degrees.^[2] Several Hebrew loanwords exist (particularly religious terms). The Islamic Conquests changed the demographics of the empire and resulted in an influx of a new corpus of words from Arabic while life under the Seljuk, Ottoman, and Safavid empires introduced Turkic words to the language.

Language isolates

Sumerian

Sumerian	Syriac	Pronunciation	Part of Speech	Meaning
E.GAL	ܗܝܟܠܐ	haykla	noun	"palace, temple"
E.KUR	ܐܓܘܪܐ	aggura	noun	"pagan shrine, altar"
agam (Akk. agammu)	ܐܓܡܐ	agma	noun	"meadow, swamp"
addir (Akk. agāru)	ܐܓܪܐ	agra	noun	"hire, wages"
azu (Akk. asû)	ܐܣܝܐ	asya	noun	"doctor (physician)"
buranun (Akk. purattu	ܦܪܬ	prāṯ	noun	"Euphrates"
idigna (Akk. idiglat	ܕܩܠܬ	deqlāṯ	noun	"Tigris"

^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Semitic

Akkadian

Akkadian	Syriac	Part of Speech	Meaning
Nisannu	ܢܝܣܢ	proper noun	"April"
Ayyaru	ܐܝܪ	proper noun	"May"
Simānu	ܚܙܝܪܢ	proper noun	"June"
Duʾūzu	ܬܡܘܙ	proper noun	"July"
Abu	ܐܒ	proper noun	"August"
Ulūlu	ܐܝܠܘܠ	proper noun	"September"
Tašrītu	ܬܫܪܝܢ	proper noun	"October; November"
Kislīmu	ܟܢܘܢ	proper noun	"December; January"
Šabāṭu	ܫܒܛ	proper noun	"February"
Addaru	ܐܕܪ	proper noun	"March"
egubbu	ܓܝܒܐ	noun	"temple courtyard basin"
inbu	ܐܒܐ	noun	"fruit"
šaṭāru	ܫܛܪܐ	noun	"deed, document"
ummānu	ܐܘܡܬܐ	noun	"nation"
zīmu	ܙܝܘܐ	noun	"beauty"
ziqtu	ܙܩܬܐ	noun	"goad, rod"
abūtu	ܐܒܘܬܐ	noun	"rule, plumbline of an architect; goad for scraping plowshares; duct work"
abullu	ܐܒܘܠܐ	noun	"city gate; portico"
lilītu	ܠܠܝܬܐ	noun	"lilith; female demon"
aban gabî	ܡܓܒܝܐ	noun	"alum"
agāru	ܐܓܪܐ	noun	"hire, wages"
agurru	ܐܓܘܪܐ	noun	"kiln-fired brick or tile"
akukītu	ܟܘܟܝܬܐ	noun	"storm, whirlwind"
muršānu	ܘܪܫܢܐ	noun	"wood dove, pigeon"
amuriqānu	ܡܪܝܩܢܐ	noun	"jaundice"
arad ekalli	ܐܪܕܟܠܐ	noun	"architect, builder"
arru	ܐܪܐ	noun	"decoy bird"
asītu	ܐܫܝܬܐ	noun	"wall, column"

^[2]^[3]^[6]^[7]^[5]

Arabic

Arabic	Syriac	Part of Speech	Meaning	Notes
بُومَة	ܒܘܡܐ	noun	"owl"

Hebrew

Hebrew	Syriac	Part of Speech	Meaning	Notes
הוֹשַׁע־נָא	ܐܘܫܥܢܐ	noun; interjection	"hosanna"

Indo-European

Greek

Early Greek loans which were administrative in nature became obscure as society changed, although words adopted from translations of Christian and philosophical texts outlived the former and survive to the current day.

Greek	Syriac	Part of Speech	Meaning
ἀράχνη	ܐܪܟܐܢܐ	noun	"spider"
αἱρετικός	ܗܪܛܝܩܐ	noun	"heretic"
τεταρταίος	ܛܗܛܐܪܛܗܘ ,ܛܗܛܪܛܗܐ ,ܛܗܛܐܪܛܗܐܘܣ	noun	"quartan"
ὀροβάγχη	ܐܘܪܒܟܝܢ	noun	"broomrape"
ἄγνος	ܐܓܢܘܣ	noun	"agnus"
κέγχρος	ܩܢܟܢܘܢ	noun	"a gem"
	ܦܪܦܝܪܝܛܝܣ	noun	"porphyrite"
	ܣܪܕܘܢ	noun	"sard, a kind of stone"
γαλακτίτης	ܓܠܐܩܛܝܛܝܣ	noun	"a type of milky stone"
ἀπόφασις	ܐܦܘܦܣܝܣ	noun	"judgement"
συλλογισμός	ܣܘܠܘܓܣܡܐ	noun	"syllogism"
	ܦܪܘܛܣܝܣ	noun	"premise, proposition, preposition"
ὕπατοι	ܐܘܦܛܝܢ	noun	"highest musical string"
κιθάρα	ܩܝܬܪܐ	noun	"harp, lute"
βάσις	ܒܣܣ	noun	"base, basis"
	ܩܘܒܘܣ	noun	"cube'
ἀμμωνιακόν	ܐܡܘܢܝܩܘܢ	noun	"gum ammoniac"
ἀνδροδάμας	ܐܢܕܪܘܕܘܡܘܣ	noun	"arsenical pyrites"
ἄσβεστος	ܐܣܒܣܛܘܢ	noun	"asbestos"
ἀφρόνιτρον	ܐܦܘܢܝܛܪܘܢ	noun	"sodium carbonate"
ἀρσενικόν	ܐܪܣܘܢܝܩܘܢ	noun	"arsenic sulfide, yellow ointment"
	ܡܓܢܝܣܝܐ	noun	"magnesium"
μολυβδήνη	mwlbdynˀ	noun	"galena"
μίσυ	mysw	noun	"shoemaker's vitriol"
νίτρων	nyṭrwn	noun	"nitre"
σηρικόν	sryqwn	noun	"red ink, red lead"
ψιμύθιον	psymtyn	noun	"white lead"
κιννάβαρις	ܩܝܢܒܪܝܣ	noun	"cinnabar"
	ܩܠܡܝܐ	noun	"cadmia (ore of zinc)"
κρήτη	ܩܪܝܛ	noun	"chalk"
ῥητίνη	ܪܛܝܢܐ	noun	"resin"
όξεῖα	ܐܘܟܣܝܐ	noun	"sharp things (grammatical)"
σχῆμα	ܐܣܟܡܐ	noun	"character, shape, form"
ἄρθρον	ܐܪܬܪܘܢ	noun	"particle"
ζεῦγος	ܙܘܓܐ	noun	"pair, conjugation, name of an accent"
τάξις	ܛܟܣܐ	noun	"order, military company, apparatus"
ἄργολας	ܐܪܓܘܠܐ	noun	"a type of snake"

^[2]^[3]

Latin

Latin loans appear to have been largely transmitted to Syriac via Greek. This is evident based on the Syriac orthography which demonstrates it was borrowed from the Greek form.^[2]^[3]

Latin	Syriac	Part of Speech	Meaning
arena	ܐܪܐܢܐ	noun	"arena"
comitatus	ܩܝܡܛܛܘܢ	noun	"retinue"
palatium	ܦܠܛܝܢ	noun	"palace"
curopalata	ܩܘܪܐܦܠܛܝܣ	noun	"prefect of the palace"
caldarium	ܩܪܕܠܐ	noun	"pot"
candela	ܩܢܕܝܠܐ	noun	"lamp, torch"
carrarius	ܩܪܪܐ	noun	"driver"
carruca	ܩܪܘܟܐ	noun	"chariot"
dinarius	ܕܝܢܪܐ	noun	"gold dinarius"

^[2]^[3]

Iranian

Iranian	Syriac	Part of Speech	Meaning
	ܢܘܗܕܪܐ	noun	"commander"
	ܓܙܐ	noun	"treasure"
	ܐܗܡܪܐܓܪ	noun	"accountant"
daewa	ܕܝܘܐ	noun	"demon, devil"
	ܐܣܦܝܕܟܐ	noun	"white lead"
būrak	ܒܘܪܟܐ	noun	"borax"
	ܙܝܘܓ	noun	"mercury (element)"
	ܙܪܢܝܟܐ	noun	"arsenic"
murtak	ܡܪܬܟܐ	noun	"dross of silver, litharge"

^[3]^[8]

Altaic

Turkic

Turkic	Syriac	Part of Speech	Meaning	Notes
yarliǵ	ܝܪܠܝܟ	noun	"decree, mandate, yarligh"

References

^ Aaron Butts (2014). Greek Loanwords in Syriac.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Aaron Butts (2016). Latin Words in Classical Syriac.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project". Hebrew Union College.
^ Stephen A. Kaufman (1974). The Akkadian influences on Aramaic (PDF).
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "The Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary". University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
^ Heinrich Zimmern (1915). Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss.
^ Stephen A. Kaufman (1974). The Akkadian influences on Aramaic (PDF).
^ Claudia Ciancaglini (2008). Iranian Loanwords in Syriac. ISBN 9783895006241.