Reconstruction:Proto-West Semitic/gabr-

This Proto-West 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.

Related to *gabbār-, from a root originally meaning "be strong".

*gabr- m

1. (strong) man

The Ge'ez term may be an internal derivation, in which case the term would only be possible to reconstruct to Proto-Central Semitic.

• Central Semitic:
  • Arabic: جَبْر (jabr, “man; slave, servant”)
  • Northwest Semitic:
    • Aramaic: 𐡂𐡁𐡓𐡀 (gbrʾ /⁠gaḇrā⁠/)
      • Eastern Aramaic:

        Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡢𐡡𐡴𐡠 (gbrʾ)

        • Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: גַּבְרָא (gaḇrā)
        • Hatran Aramaic: 𐣢𐣡𐣣𐣠 (gbrʾ)
        • Mandaic: ࡂࡁࡓࡀ (gbrʾ)
        • Classical Syriac: ܓܒܪܐ (gbrʾ /⁠gaḇrā⁠/)
        • → Proto-Kurdish: (“big; chief; elder, senior; grown-up, adult; venerable”)^[1]

          Central Kurdish: گەورە (gewre)

          Southern Kurdish: گەورە (gewre), گەورا (gewra)

        • → Middle Persian:

          Book Pahlavi script: (GBRA /⁠*garbā; mard⁠/)

          • Persian: گبر (gabr) (see there for further descendants)
      • Western Aramaic:

        Biblical Aramaic: גברא (gbrʾ)

        • Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: גַּבְרָא (gaḇrā)
        • Samaritan Aramaic: ࠂࠁࠓࠀ (gbrʾ /⁠gaḇrā⁠/)
    • Canaanite:
      • Hebrew: גֶּבֶר (géver, geḇer, “man, strong man, warrior”)
• Ethiopian Semitic:
  • Ge'ez: ገብር (gäbr, “slave, servant, bondsman”) (or perhaps an internal derivation)

• 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 237
• “gbr”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 78