/muwida-/, (*642)mu-wa/i-tà-
‘procreative power (?), progeny (?)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 3535
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/muwida-/, (*642)mu-wa/i-tà-
‘procreative power (?), progeny (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme probably occurs three times in the corpus. All attestations stem from the Karkamiš region, but cover a wider range of dates. Thus, KARKAMIŠ A11b+c dates to the late 10th or early 9th century, whereas TİLSEVET originates from the 8th century BCE.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. sg. | /muwidas/ | *462-sa | KARKAMIŠ N1, §7 (Karkamiš) |
| acc. sg. | /muwidan/ | (*462)mu-wa/i-i-tà-na | KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §28 (Karkamiš) |
| *462 | TİLSEVET, §3 (Karkamiš) |
It cannot be said with certainty if the two mainly logographic attestations at KARKAMIŠ N1, §7 and TİLSEVET, §3 really belong to the present lexeme, cf. the discussion of the meaning below; future research may show them to be separate words.
[AH.B.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The fully syllabic spelling attested in KARKAMIŠ A11b+c serves as a good basis for a sound phonological interpretation. Within the second syllable of the stem, the vowel is clarified by means of a plene spelling with additional 〈i〉, and the sign 〈tà〉 shows that the dental must be voiced (Rieken 2008b:645). Since the logogram *462 is combined with the syllabic spelling once, it seems advisable to transfer this information to contexts where the logogram occurs uncomplemented. However, the identification is not entirely secure, because /muwida-/ is far from the only word within the family around /muwa-(i)/ ‘to control; to conquer’ to make use of *462 even without further complementation; it is also used for the adjective /muwassa/i-/ ‘mighty’. In addition to that, a further noun, /FEMINA.*462-trid-/ ‘female potency (?)’, includes the same logogram, and despite undoubted semantic proximity, its shape and indeed any cognate link to /muwida-/ are entirely unclear.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The understanding of this lexeme is helped considerably by the cognates found in other Anatolian languages, e.g. in Hittite (HED M:196-200, CHD L-N:314-316)Note that CHD discusses and discards the oft-assumed meaning ‘semen, seed’ for Hittite, and the HLuw. contexts likewise do not offer any actual proof for that meaning (pace Dinçol, Dinçol, Hawkins, Marchetti & Peker 2014a:150), although it remains a distant possibility. with forms apparently borrowed from Luwian (see Yakubovich 2010d:211 n. 7). Thus, the general semantics of the noun as denoting some kind of powerful ability are certain, but its precise meaning can only be assigned tentatively for now. The contexts at TİLSEVET, §3 and KARKAMIŠ N1, §7 seem to accommodate a meaning such as ‘progeny’ most easily (cf. Hawkins 2000a:178), while the curse formula at KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §28 fits more easily a less resultative meaning such as ‘procreative power’, cf. KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §28: *a-wa/i-tú VIR-ti-ia-ti-i-na (*462)mu-wa/i-i-tà-na NEG3-sa CAPERE-ti-i, approx. /a=wa=du zidiyadin muwidan nis lanti/, meaning ‘(They shall sever masculinity from him, and from her they shall sever femininity), they shall not allot male procreative power? to him, (and to her they shall not allot female fertility?!)’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:104).
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
Based on the contracted stem /muwi(ya)-/, the present lexeme is a common gender noun built with /-ada-/ (cf. Rieken 2008b:644f.). It is evidently not subject to i-mutation.
[AH.B.]
For the lemma head, see HLuw. /muwa-(i)/.