pappaša-^(ti)

The lexeme is found once in a MS birth ritual.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. – The assumed reduplicated structure of the word and, more importantly, the available space speak for the restoration of initial [pa]-. In contrast, the reading with initial [ša]- following Carruba 1969b:72 requires clearly too much space.

[E.R.]

The context of the transitive verb describes the cleansing of the house by the pregnant mother and the father:  ^(15’)[a]n-ni-iš-ku-wa-ti pár-na-an-za ma-ad-du-ú[-wa-ti] ^(16’)[p]a-ap-pár-ku-wa-at-ti ta-a-ti-iš-pa-wa-ti-ia[-ta] ^(17’)x-ti-ia-ti pu-šu-ri-ia[-ti] ^(18’)[pa-]ap-pa-ša-at-ti “the mother cleanses the house with honey, but the father [p]appaša-s it with an x-tiyati pušuriyati” (KUB 35.103 ii 15’-18’; modified from Melchert 2007b:1f.). In CLL:165 and Melchert 2007b:1f., the author suggests that [p]appaša-^(ti) is a cognate of Hitt. papparš-^(mi) ‘to sprinkle’ (as an act of purification) with the loss of -r- before consonant (Melchert 1994a:271, followed in Sasseville 2021a:43). Kloekhorst (EDHIL:628) raises doubts regarding the semantic interpretation, which according to him is not “evident from the context”. Although the sprinkling of aromatic substances can be seen as an act of purification, a more straightforward solution lies in relating [p]appaša-^(ti) to the root paš- ‘to rub, wipe, polish’, which is also the base of pušuri(ya)- with its variant pašūri(ya)- ‘rubbing substance, polish’ in the same passage. The two semantic and morphological interpretations support each other and are further confirmed by the occurrence of ḫatayann(i)- ‘drier, wiper’ (ibid. ii 12’ and iii 2), which could belong to the root ḫat- ‘to dry, to become parched’ and denote a similar act of purification.

Implausible is the assignment to the lemma of pappaša-⁽ⁱ⁾ ‘to swallow’ in Starke 1990a:311f., which inflects after the ḫi-conjugation and does not suit the context of pappaša-^(ti); see CLL:165 and Sasseville 2021a:43.

[E.R.]

Sasseville 2021a:43 classifies the verb as a reduplicated factitive verb in -a-^(ti). Its base is either a mutated or unmutated noun: *pappaša- or *pappaš(i)-.

[E.R.]

For the etymology, see under CLuw. (GKW) pašiḫā(i)-^(di).