eDiAna

/warp(i)-/

‘weapon, tool’

Language
Common Luwic
Grammar
subst, c.
ID
2182

1. Individual Anatolian Languages

1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian

/warp(i)-/, (ARMA)wa/i+ra/i-pi-

‘weapon, tool’

1.1.1Transmission

With 17 attestations, this lexeme is well-represented in the HLuw corpus. It can be found in inscriptions mainly from Karkamiš in the south-east, but also in Amuq and Tell Ahmar in the south, and Tabal in the centre of the HLuw. area. The relevant inscriptions all date to the Iron Age period and fall between the late 10th and the late 8th centuries BCE.

[AH.B.]

1.1.2Forms

 acc. sg. /warpin/ (ARMA)wa/i+ra/i-pi-na KARKAMIŠ A15b, §22 (Karkamiš)
    wa/i+ra/i-pi-na SULTANHAN, §8 (Tabal)
    ARMA-i-na TELL TAYINAT 1, 3-5 l. 4 (Amuq)
      ARSUZ 1, §14 (Amuq)
    ARMA-na KARKAMIŠ A15b, §14 (Karkamiš)
    “ARMA” ARSUZ 2, §15 (Amuq)
    ARMA KARKAMIŠ N1, §4 (Karkamiš)
      KARKAMIŠ A4b, §4 (Karkamiš)
 dat. sg. /warpi/ (“ARMA”)wa/i+ra/i-pi KARKAMIŠ A12, §8 (Karkamiš)
    (ARMA)wa/i+ra/i-pi KARKAMIŠ A12, §12 (Karkamiš)
 gen. sg. /warpassi/ (“ARMA”)wa/i+ra/i-pa-si KARKAMIŠ A2+3, A3, §16 (Karkamiš)
    wa/i+ra/i-pa-si KÖRKÜN, rev. §4 (Karkamiš)
 abl./instr. /warpadi/ ARMA-ti TOPADA, §13 (Tabal)
    ARMA POTOROO, §5a (Karkamiš)
poss. adj. nom. sg. c. /warpassis/ wa/i+ra/i-[pa]-si-sá ANDAVAL, §2 (Tabal)
poss. adj. acc. sg. c.  /warpassin/ (ARMA)wa/i+ra/i[-pa]-s[i]-n[a ...] KARKAMIŠ A28e (Karkamiš)

[AH.B.]

1.1.3Graphic Features

1.1.3.13.1. Phonological Interpretation

Supported by copious syllabically written attestations, the phonological interpretation of this lexeme should be seen as certain despite the vagaries of the HLuw. writing system. Not only is the word part of a larger word family involving several derived forms which in turn offer more evidence for its phonological interpretation, but it also has cognates in the other Anatolian languages, e.g. Hitt./Luw. /warpalla/i-/ ‘powerful, strong, enormous’ (HEDW-Z:347). The spellings involving ARMA (*273) tie this logogram phonologically and semantically to /warp(i)-/ and related words, where it is used either as a determiner preceding a full syllabic rendition of the word or within the actual word itself.

[AH.B.]

1.1.4Meaning

The meaning ‘weapon, tool’ is first suggested by Yakubovich 2016a:75 n. 10 and fully fleshed out in Yakubovich 2019a:582f. on the basis of combined evidence. Thus, /warp(i)-/ frequently occurs together with verbs of negative physical contact (e.g. fighting), other nouns for weapons, items in sacrificial contexts, items of investiture, and other tools. Weeden 2018a:344 incl. n. 54 agrees with this assessment on the whole, but points out that ‘weapon, tool’ does not constitute the best semantic fit in all instances. A check of the contexts shows that while ‘weapon, tool’ is certainly the best choice for nine out of 16 contexts, a further three contexts would also permit a different translation (KARKAMIŠ A2+3, A3, §16 and A15b, 4§22, and TELL TAYINAT 1, 3-5 l. 4), and the remaining four contexts are too fragmented for a full assessment (KARKAMIŠ A15b, §14 and A28e, POTOROO, §5a, and ANDAVAL, §2).

Previous, but now largely moot interpretations of the semantics include ‘virtue’, ‘courage’, ‘knowledge, skill’, ‘protection’ and several more (see the literature given in HEGW-Z:344f., 347-349), yet the contexts /warp(i)-/ occurs in force none of these.

[AH.B.]

1.1.5Stem

The lexeme is a common gender stem that is subject to i-mutation, but beyond that its formation remains unclear (cf. Yakubovich 2019a:586).

[AH.B.]

1.1.6Derivatives

  1. /warpalla(/i)-/

  2. /warpamma/i-/

  3. /warpallawa-/

  4. /warpalli(ya)-/

  5. /warpassahid-/

  6. /warpassalli(ya)-/

1.2 Cuneiform Luwian

*warp(i)-

‘weapon, tool’

1.2.1Derivatives

  1. warpalla/i-

  2. warpann(i)-

1.2.1.1Uncertain Derivatives

  1. warpašša-(i)

  2. (-)w]arpai(ya)-

  3. warpi(t)-

  4. warpal-

1.3 Lydian

*warp(i)-

‘weapon, tool’

1.3.1Derivatives

1.3.1.1Uncertain Derivatives

  1. warptoki-(d)

2. Reconstruction

2.1Reconstruction

If the Lydian cognate warptoki-(d) is really related to the Luwian word family surrounding /warp(i)-/ ‘weapon, tool’, it would speak for the reconstruction of a root ending with the voiceless labial *p, i.e. *u̯erp-. Since this root appears to be so far only attested in the Luwic languages, one should also open the possibility of seeing a root of the shape *gu̯(h)erp-. On the other hand, it is suggested by Rieken (apud Yakubovich 2019a:556f.) that Luw. /warp(i)-/ might be cognate with Luw. /huhurpal-/, assuming a loss of the initial laryngeal in /warp(i)-/ due to Saussure’s Law. Due to the obscure semantics of the latter, this must await further evidence.

On the dissociation from the Anatolian warp-root meaning ‘to enclose’, see Yakubovich 2019a:556. For dubious Indo-European etymologies, see Yakubovich 2019a:557 n. 87, which he himself refrains to follow.

[D.S.]

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