ܝܬܘܡܐ

The form ܝܲܬ݂ܡܵܐ (yaṯmā), from Aramaic יַתְמָא (yaṯmā), from Proto-Semitic *yatam- (“to be fatherless or without a guardian, to be without support of family or tribe, to be disenfranchised or alone”) is attested in Nineveh Plains in Maclean’s ‘A Dictionary of the Dialects of Vernacular Syriac’ (1901). However, the modern form ܝܲܬܘܼܡܵܐ (yatūmā) exactly matches the common adjective pattern 1a22ū3ā, suggesting that this word originally meant “orphaned, fatherless,” while ܝܲܬ݂ܡܵܐ (yaṯmā) would have been the noun “orphan”. This distinction was probably lost and the adjective form assumed both meanings. Compare Classical Syriac ܝܬܡܐ (yaṯmā), Hebrew יָתוֹם (yatóm), Phoenician 𐤉‬𐤕‬𐤌 (y‬t‬m‬), Arabic يَتِيم (yatīm), Classical Mandaic ࡉࡀࡕࡉࡌࡀ (yatima), Tigre ያፓም (yattam), and Ugaritic 𐎊𐎚𐎎 (ytm).

• (Standard) IPA^(key):

ܝܲܬܘܼܡܵܐ • (yatūmā) m sg (plural ܝܲܬܘܼܡܹ̈ܐ (yatūmē), feminine ܝܲܬܘܼܡܬܵܐ (yatumtā))

1. orphan
   • James 1:27:

     ܬܵܘܕܝܼܬܵܐ ܕܟ݂ܝܼܬܵܐ ܘܕܠܵܐ ܡܘܼܡܵܐ ܩܲܕ݇ܡ ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ ܒܵܒܵܐ ܐܵܗܵܐ ܝܠܵܗ̇، ܕܐ݇ܢܵܫܵܐ ܬܵܦܹܩ ܒܝܲܬܘܼܡܹ̈ܐ ܘܐܲܪ̈ܡܸܠܝܵܬܹܐ ܒܐܘܼܠܨܵܢܵܝ̈ܗܝ، ܘܢܵܛܹܪ ܓܵܢܹܗ ܡ̣ܢ ܥܵܠܡܵܐ ܕܠܵܐ ܛܘܼܠܫܵܐ.

     tāwdītā dḵītā w-d-lā mūmā qam allāhā bābā āhā ìlāh, d-nāšā tāpēq b-yatūmē w-armilyātē b-ulṣānāyh, w-nāṭēr gānēh min ˁālmā d-lā ṭulšā.

     Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

2. fatherless or motherless person

• ܒܹܝܬ ܝܲܬܘܼܡܹ̈ܐ (bēt yatūmē, “orphanage”)
• ܝܲܬܘܼܡܘܼܬܵܐ (yatūmūtā, “orphanhood”)
• ܝܲܬܘܼܡܵܐ ܕܒܵܒܵܐ (yatūmā dbābā, “fatherless”)
• ܝܲܬܘܼܡܵܐ ܕܐܸܡܵܐ (yatūmā d-immā, “motherless”)

ܝܲܬܘܼܡܵܐ • (yatūmā) ?

1. a surname