Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/yawm-

This Proto-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.

Proto-Semitic

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic *yam- (“day”). Cognate with Egyptian ỉmy (“sun (as an eye)”).

Noun

*yawm- m

day
Antonym: *layl-

Inflection

Declension of *yawm-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*yawmum	*yawmāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*yawmam	*yawmayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*yawmim	*yawmayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	yawmī / yawmVya	—	*yawmVni
2^nd person m	*yawmVka	yawmVkumā / yawmVkumay	*yawmVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*yawmVki	yawmVkumā / yawmVkumay	*yawmVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*yawmVšu	yawmVšumā / yawmVšumay	*yawmVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*yawmVša	yawmVšumā / yawmVšumay	*yawmVšin(ā)

the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *yawmuya for nom. case, *yawmiya for gen. case, *yawmaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Eblaite: 𒀀𒉿𒈬 (a-wa-mu /⁠yawmū⁠/, “days”)
- Akkadian: 𒌓 (ūmum)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: يَوْم (yawm)
    - Egyptian Arabic: يوم (yōm)
    - Gulf Arabic: يوم (yōm)
    - Hijazi Arabic: يوم (yōm)
    - Maltese: jum
    - Moroccan Arabic: يوم (yūm)
    - → Ottoman Turkish: یوم (yevm)
      - Turkish: yevm
    - → Persian: یوم (yowm)
      - → Urdu: یوم (yaum)
      - → Hindi: यौम (yaum), इय्याम (iyyām)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic: יַוְמָא (yawmā) יוֹמָא (yōmā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܝܰܘܡܳܐ (yawmā)
      - Lishana Deni: יומא (yōma)
      - Classical Mandaic: ࡉࡅࡌ (ium)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: יוֹם (yom, yôm)
      - Phoenician: 𐤉𐤌 (ym)
        Punic: 𐤉𐤌 (ym)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎊𐎎 (ym /⁠yōmu⁠/)
- Old South Arabian: 𐩺𐩥𐩣 (ywm)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Ge'ez: ዮም (yom, “today”)
    - → Amharic: ዮም (yom)
  - Tigre: ዮም (yom, “today”)
  - Tigrinya: ሎም (lom), ሎሚ (lomi, “today”)
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Mehri: yum (“day”)
  - Shehri: yum f (“sun; sunlight; light”), yum, yuhm, ɛ́m (“day”)
  - Soqotri: yōm

References

Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, →DOI, pages 133–5