zallim(m)išša-⁽ⁱ⁾

A hapax, the verb is attested in a MH ritual for the Tutelary Deity of the Hunting Bag (^DKAL ^KUŠkuršaš).

[E.R.]

3sg. impv. act.

za-al-li-mi-iš-ša-du

KBo 17.105 iii 34

(CTH 433, MS)

The form is used in an asyndetic construction with [t]attarawaddu, which is unambiguously a 3sg. form. Therefore, Melchert’s consideration (pers. comm.) of a 3pl. verb, which he himself characterizes as “possible but not supported” by the preceding verb in -addu, can be safely discarded.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

[E.R.]

The word is rarely cited in the literature and has not received a semantic interpretation so far (McMahon 1995a:266, Bawanypeck 2005a:101, Ünal 2007a:812, Bawanypeck 2008a, HEG U-Z:633, Sasseville 2021a:502 n. 10).

The context belongs to a prayer to the Heptads asking them to step out of the way in their evil avatar and, instead, give kindness to the Tutelary Deity, turn benevolently towards the royal family, and provide a path for them. Furthermore, the same behavior is asked for regarding the augurs. Then, two isolated asyndetic verbal forms in the singular follow: [t]attarawaddu zallimiššadu (for the new reading of the former, see under Lemma). The last referent in the singular is the path and, therefore, probably the subject of the verbs. The verbs then describe pleasant characteristics (Melchert pers. comm.) of the path provided, which would normally be to be safe, broad, viable or the like.

If the plausible contextual analysis of zalli-^(ti) as ‘to cover’ (see under Lemma) is correct, then its participle *zallimma/i- ‘covered, protected’ could be the base of a denominal derivative *zallimm(a)i-^(di) or *zallimmi-^(ti) meaning ‘to be covered, be protected’ with an imperfective stem zallim(m)išša-⁽ⁱ⁾ (for the derivational process, see Sasseville 2021a:502 n. 10). Thus, the expected semantics of the verb are fully compatible with what the context of KBo 17.105 demands. It is further supported by the near-identical meaning of [t]attarawaddu (see under tattarawa-^(ti)).

[E.R.]

The starting point of the derivational chain is the verb zalli-^(ti) as ‘to cover’ with the participle zallimma/i- ‘covered, protected’, from which a stem *zallimm(a)i-^(di) or *zallimmi-^(ti) ‘to be covered, be protected’ is derived. Their regular imperfective stems are identical and also with the attested verb zallim(m)išša-⁽ⁱ⁾ (for the last two steps see Sasseville 2021a:502 n. 10).

[E.R.]

Initial za-, which is rare in genuinely Hittite words, and the suffix chain with the formants -mma/i- and -šša- point to its Luwian origin (as assumed by Melchert (pers. comm.), Sasseville 2021a:502 n. 10).

[E.R.]

For the lemma head, see zalli-^(ti).