*h1d-sk̑é/ó-
‘to eat (imperf.)’
- Language
- Proto-Anatolian
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 1020
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/azza-(i)/, á-za-
‘to begin to eat (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is a hapax legomenon, attested once in an inscription from Aleppo and dated to the late 10th or early 9th century.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| 3sg. pres. act. | /azzai/ | (“*471”)á-za-i | BABYLON 1, §10 (Aleppo) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The sole attestation of this lexeme is fully spelt out and hence facilitates an easy interpretation. Coupled with the new semantic analysis (see under meaning below), it is clear that /azzai/ is the regular 3sg. pres. ind. act. form of the dominant verb conjugation.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The word being a hapax legomenon, it escaped translation for a long time. Only a new analysis by Yakubovich 2016a:88-90 (with acknowledgement to C. Melchert) has now shed light on this curse formula context. Paired with the similarly obscure form /pazzai/, now identified as a similar derivation of /pa-/ ‘to drink’, the lexeme very likely denotes a more specialised meaning. Yakubovich 2016a:89 suggests to view the verb stems /azza-(i)/ and /pazza-(i)/ as imperfective and used with an inceptive meaning in this passage, i.e. ‘to begin to eat/drink’.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
Derived from the root verb /ad-(ti)/ ‘to eat’, this lexeme continues an earlier sk̑e/o-formation used to derive a semantically different form from the base verb.
[AH.B.]
1.1.6Derivatives
1.1.6.1Uncertain Derivatives
1.2 Palaic
azzike/a-
‘to (begin to) eat’1.2.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in a festival text for the Palaic pantheon.
[D.S.]
1.2.2Forms
| 2sg. impv. act. | az-zi-ki-i | KUB 35.165 obv. 15 | (CTH 751, OS or MS) |
| az-zi[-ki-i] | KUB 35.165 obv. 20 | (CTH 751, OS or MS) |
1.2.3Graphic Features
Checked against the photograph in the Konkordanz (Mainzer Fotoarchiv).
[D.S.]
1.2.4Meaning
Otten 1945-1951a:82 and Kammenhuber 1955b:356 n. 1 interpret Pal. azzikī as an imperfective formation in -ške/a- (= Hitt. -ške/a-(mi)) conjugated in the 2nd singular imperative derived from the verb ad- ‘to eat’, i.e. ad- + škī > azzikī (followed by Carruba 1970a:52, Melchert 1984b:30, Yakubovich 2010d:174). Carruba 1972a:29 translates it with ‘eat, keep eating (it)!’, in order to render the “iterative” suffix. However, an inchoative function (included in the broad spectrum of imperfectivity) would be contextually more appropriate, i.e. ‘begin to eat it!’.
ku-i-ša tu-ú wuú-l[a-]˹a˺-ši-na-aš ka-a-ar-ti a-ti-a-pa-an az-zi-ki-i (KUB 35.165 obv. 15)
‘Whichever bread is in your heart (= you desire), (begin to) eat that one!’
[D.S.]
1.2.5Origin
Doubts have been raised whether azzikī could not instead be a Hittite borrowing (Carruba 1970a:52, Melchert 1984b:29), which is completely unnecessary. The comparison of Melchert between the loss of k in the enclitic demonstrative pronoun after consonant (e.g. kaššut=at < =kat) is due to erosion, not regular sound law.
[D.S.]
1.3 Hittite
azzike/a-(mi)
‘to eat (imperf.)’1.3.1Literature / Comments
HW 2nd ed.:132-136
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction ‘to eat (imperf.)’
The equation of Hitt. azzike/a-(mi) ‘to eat (impf.)’ with Pal. azzike/a- ‘to (begin to) eat’ and HLuw. á-za- /azza-(i)/ ‘to begin to eat’ allows us to reconstruct a Proto-Anatolian pre-form *h1d-sk̑é/ó-. In both Hittite and Palaic, it is clearly the zero-grade of the root that was used for the imperfective formation, i.e. ad- (as in the plural), not **ed-.
[D.S.]
For the lemma head see PAnat. *(h1)éd-/(h1)d-´.