ܝܡܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Etymology 1

Variant of ܐܸܡܵܐ (immā), from Aramaic אִמָּא (ʾimmā) with a shift from an initial /ʔ/ to /j/, from Proto-Semitic *ʔimm-; compare Turoyo ܐܶܡܐ (emo), Arabic أُمّ (ʔumm), Hebrew אֵם (em) and אִמָּא (ímma).

The second sense is from Akkadian ummat erî (“lower milestone, grindstone”). The first element, ummat, is the construct form of ummatu (“main part”) while the second element erî is the genetive form of erû (“lower stone of hand-mill”). Based on folk etymology or a reinterpretation of the Akkadian term, the word was reinterpreted as “mother” in Aramaic. In some dialects, the fourth sense then evolved from this.

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): ,
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): ,
• (Urmian) IPA^(key):

Noun

ܝܸܡܵܐ • (yimmā) f (plural ܝܸܡܵܬܹ̈ܐ (yimmātē) or ܝܸܡܵܘܵܬ݂ܵܐ (yimmāwāṯā), masculine ܒܵܒܵܐ (bābā) or ܐܲܒ݂ܵܐ (aḇā))

1. mother (female parent who gets pregnant and gives birth to a child)
2. lower millstone of a mill; lower grindstone of a hand-mill
3. (Tergawar) colostrum, first milk
4. (Tyare) boulder that has rolled or is rolling down a slope
5. malignant tumor

Inflection

Derived terms

• ܝܸܡ ܩܪܵܝܬܵܐ (yim qrāytā, “mater lectionis”)
• ܝܸܡܵܝܵܐ (yimmāyā, “motherly, maternal”)

  ܠܸܫܵܢܵܐ ܝܸܡܵܝܵܐ (liššānā yimmāyā, “mother tongue”)

• ܝܸܡܘܼܬܵܐ (yimūtā, “motherhood, maternity”)

Related terms

• ܐܲܡܘܼܡܵܐ (amūmā, “mold, matrix”)
• ܐܘܼܡܬܵܐ (umtā, “nation”)
• ܐܸܡܗܵܬܹ̈ܐ (imhātē, “female ancestors”)

Etymology 2

A Northwest Semitic innovation from Aramaic יַמָּא (yammāʾ), from Proto-Semitic *wamm- (“sea, river”); compare Ugaritic 𐎊𐎎 (ym), Hebrew יָם (yam), and also borrowed into Arabic يَمّ (yamm).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): ,
• (Urmian) IPA^(key):

Noun

ܝܵܡܵܐ • (yāmā) m (plural ܝܲܡܡܹ̈ܐ (yammē))

1. sea (large body of salt water)

   Antonym: ܝܲܒ݂ܫܵܐ (yaḇšā, “dry land”)

2. beach (pebbly or sandy shore, especially by the sea between high- and low-water marks)

Usage notes

• This term is grammatically masculine, either gender in the Alqosh/Nineveh Plains dialect(s), and may be feminine in others.

Inflection

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Etymology 3

From Aramaic יֲמָא (yămā).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key):

Verb

ܝܵܡܹܐ • (yāmē) (present participle ܝܡܵܝܵܐ (māyā), past participle ܝܸܡܝܵܐ (yimyā))

1. to swear, vow

   ܠܵܐ ܝܵܡܹܝܬܘܿܢ ܒܕܘܼܓܠܵܐ. ― lā yāmētōn b-duglā. ― You must not swear by a lie.

Conjugation

References

• “ܝܸܡܵܐ”, in Sureth Dictionary, Association Assyrophile de France, 2022 November 27 (last accessed)
• “ܝܲܡܵܐ”, in Sureth Dictionary, Association Assyrophile de France, 2022 November 27 (last accessed)
• Maclean, Arthur John (1901) “ܝܸܡܵܐ”, in Dictionary of the Dialects of Vernacular Syriac as Spoken by the Eastern Syrians of Kurdistan, North-West Persia and the Plain of Mosul, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 120b
• Maclean, Arthur John (1901) “ܝܵܡܵܐ”, in Dictionary of the Dialects of Vernacular Syriac as Spoken by the Eastern Syrians of Kurdistan, North-West Persia and the Plain of Mosul, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 120b
• Hezi Mutzafi (2018 May 15) “Akkadian substrate words and meanings surfacing in Neo-Aramaic”, in Brill's Journal of Afroasiatic Languages and Linguistics

Classical Syriac

Etymology

A Northwest Semitic innovation. From Proto-Semitic *wamm- (“sea, river”). Compare Ugaritic 𐎊𐎎 (ym), Hebrew יָם (yām) and Arabic يَمّ (yamm). The word as it appears in Arabic is a borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key):
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key):
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key):

Noun

ܝܡܐ • (yammā) m (plural ܝܡܡܐ (yammē))

1. sea, large lake
2. pond, swamp, marsh

Inflection

Synonyms

• (sea): ܒܚܪܐ (baḥrā)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “sea”): ܝܒܫܐ (yaḇšā, “dry land”)

Derived terms

• ܝܕ ܝܡܐ (yaḏ yammā, “coast”)
• ܝܡܡ (yammem, “to make into a sea”)
• ܝܡܡܝܐ (yammāyā, “marine”)
• ܝܡܬܐ (yamməṯā, “lake”)
  • ܝܡܬܘܢܝܬܐ (yamməṯōnīṯā, “lakelet”)

References

• “ym”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-10-02
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 141b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 193a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 575b
• Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 191

Anagrams

• ܡܝܐ

Turoyo

Etymology

From Aramaic ימא

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑmo/ (singular)
• IPA^(key): /jɑme/ (plural)

Noun

ܝܰܡܳܐ • (yāmo) m (plural ܝܰܡܶܐ (yāme))

1. sea

   Synonym: ܒܰܚܪܳܐ (baḥro)