Reconstruction:Proto-West Semitic/milḥ-

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.

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥h₂-, zero grade of *melh₂- (“to grind”), as in "grounded (salt)".

*milḥ- m

1. salt

• Central Semitic:
  • Arabic: مِلْح (milḥ)
    • Gulf Arabic: ملح (milḥ)
    • Moroccan Arabic: ملح
    • Maltese: melħ
    • Hindi: मिल्ह (milha)
  • Northwest Semitic:
    • Aramaic: מִלְחָא (milḥā), מִילְחָא (milḥa), ܡܠܚܐ (milḥā)
      • Classical Syriac: ܡܠܚܐ (milḥā)
    • Canaanite:
      • Hebrew: מֶלַח (mélakh, melaḥ)
      • (possibly) Phoenician: 𐤌𐤋𐤊 (mlk)
        • Punic: 𐤌𐤋𐤊𐤀 (mlkʾ)
        • → Ancient Greek: Μᾰλᾰ́κη (Malákē)
        • → Latin: Malaca
          • → Arabic: مالقة
            • → Hijazi Arabic: مالقة (learned)
            • → Spanish: Málaga
              • → Catalan: Màlaga
              • → English: Malaga, Málaga
              • → Greek: Μάλαγα (Málaga)
              • → Hebrew: מָלָגָה (Malága)
              • → Polish: Malaga, Málaga
              • → Portuguese: Málaga
              • → Russian: Ма́лага (Málaga)
    • Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎍𐎈𐎚 (mlḥt /⁠milḥatu⁠/)

• 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 239
• Bernard, Chams (2024). "Indo-European Salt and Semitic Bulls. On the Etymology of *milḥ “Salt” and *θawr “Bull”" Zeitschrift der Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft 174, 117-132.