/has(s)a-/, ha-sa-mi-

This lexeme is attested twice times in an inscription from Tabal dating to the mid-8^th century BCE.

[A.P.]

part. nom. sg. c.	/has(s)ammis/	ha-sa-mi-sa	KULULU 1, §11 (Tabal)
part. acc. sg. c.	/has(s)ammin/	ha-sa-mi-na	KULULU 1, §12 (Tabal)

[A.P.] [AH.B.]

The meaning of this word has been under debate, because scholarly views differ regarding its etymological links, see e.g. Simon 2019j:593f. for a brief assessment. Bossert 1956b:50 connected it to the verb /hassa-/ ‘to give birth’, but that provides little sense in the KULULU 1 context and is therefore called into question later by Hawkins 2000a:444. Consequently, there are different takes on the meaning of this passage. Simon 2019j:594f. notes that the word is likely a participle modifying the nouns following it, and that the position in a curse formula narrows the possible semantic range. One interpretation is offered by Schürr (pers. comm.), who suggests a link with /has(s)(a/i)-/ ‘force(?)’ (for which cf. Hawkins 2000a:107 with references). Building on his suggestion, Yakubovich (pers. comm.) considers /has(s)ammis/ a possible play on words and connects it to the noun /hastal(i)-/ ‘hero’ (and therefore ultimately to the word for ‘bone, cf. CLuw. ḫaš- ‘bone’), signifying strength and therefore also a possible source for the noun /has(s)(a/i)-/ ‘force’(?).

The two relevant clauses in KULULU 1, §§11-12 read: ^Itu-wa/i-ti-sà-pa-wa/i-tu-u-ta á-mu+ra/i-sá (DEUS)ku-AVIS-pa-pa-sa ha-sa-mi-sa zú-wa/i-ni-i-sá á-pa-na-´ i-zi-ia-tu a-wa/i á-pa-si-na ha-sa-mi-na mara/i-ta-mi-i-na ARHA á-za-tu á-pa-si-ha á-tara/i-i-na, approx. /Tuwatis=ba=wa=du=tta amuris^? Kubabas hassammis zuwanis appan izziyadu a=wa abassin has(s)ammin marrattamin^? ahha aztu abassin=ha atrin/, perhaps translating as ‘And the amur(i)- of Tuwati, (as?) Kubaba’s forceful^?? dog, shall emerge behind him and shall devour his forceful^?? marrattam(i)- (perhaps: bone-marrow, Yakubovich pers. comm.) and his soul’ vel sim. (cf. Hawkins 2000a:443f.).

[AH.B.]

The attested forms are most likely participles to an otherwise unattested verb of the shape /has(s)a-/ ‘to be forceful’ vel sim. The stem of the verb is not clear from the available evidence. It can either, and more likely, be a denominative in /-a(i)-^(di)/ with subsequent simplification of /-aimma/i-/ to /-amma/i-/ in the participle, cf. Sasseville 2021a:80-82, or perhaps, though less likely, a stem in /-a-^(ti)/, cf. Sasseville 2021a:19-21. In either case, the derivational base would be /has(s)(a/i)-/ ‘force (?)’.

[AH.B.]