ēlḫā(i)-(di) (ilḫa(i)-)
‘to wash (off)’
- Language
- Cuneiform Luwian
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 3392
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Cuneiform Luwian
ēlḫā(i)-(di) (ilḫa(i)-)
‘to wash (off)’1.1.1Transmission
The verb is attested in an Old Hittite ritual with Palaic and Luwian incantations and in ritual fragments from the Kuwattalla tradition.
[E.R.]
1.1.2Forms
| 1sg. pres. act. | el-ḫa-ú-i | KBo 29.49, 3’, 4’ | (CTH 756, NS) |
| 3sg. pres. act. | il-ḫa-ti | KUB 27.26, 6’ | (CTH 763, NS) |
| 2pl. pres. act | e-el-ḫa-[ta-ni(?)] | KUB 35.39 iii 11’ | (CTH 759, LNS) |
| 1sg. pret. act. | e-el-ḫa-a-ḫa | KUB 35.93 ii obv.! 8’ | (CTH 752, OS) |
| e-el-ḫa-⸢a⸣-[ḫa] | KUB 35.93 ii obv.! 9’ | (CTH 752, OS) | |
| 3sg. impv. act. | e-el-ḫa-a-du | KUB 9.6 ii 14 | (CTH 759, LNS) |
The restoration at KUB 35.39 iii 11’ follows Mouton & Yakubovich pers. comm.
[E.R.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.
[E.R.]
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The almost consistent e-vocalism of the verb represents a phonetic feature conditioned by the position before -lḫ- (see Rieken 2017a:27 and DCL:Section 2.1 for similar phenomena in Luwian; differently Sasseville 2021a:87, who regards it as purely graphic).
[E.R.]
1.1.4Meaning
It was Meriggi 1957a:223 (Meriggi 1957b:61f.) who first elucidated the semantics of ēlḫa-(di) and its reduplicated derivative ililḫa-(i). He showed that the verbs (often accompanied by the reflexive pronoun) denote the act of rinsing off of some kind of pollution (with the ending -ati in ablatival function) or by means of purifying substances (oil and honey, with the ending -ati in instrumental function). The translation has never been disputed (cf. HW:384, DLL:36, CLL:87, Melchert 1994a:80, 241, 263, Rosenkranz 1978a:37, Lehrman 1998a:147, HHw:61, HEG L-N:5, HED L:82, Melchert 2011a:217f., Dempsey 2015a:218f., Sasseville 2021a:87; also accepted by Bossert 1960c:427f., who seems to regard ‘to anoint’ as a sub-meaning of ‘to wash’).
[E.R.]
1.1.5Stem
The verb belongs to the class of lenited verbs in -a(i)-(di) (see Morpurgo Davies 1982-1983a:270, Melchert 1994a: 277, Sasseville 2021a:87), although the allomorphic variant -ai- is not yet attested. For the striking root shape, see lemma head, under Reconstruction.
[E.R.]
1.1.6Derivatives
For the lemma head see CLuw. lūwa-(i).