tēmaḫ

This word is found on an Middle Hittite tablet pertaining to the festival for the Palaic pantheon

[D.S.]

2sg. impv. act.

te-e-ma-aḫ

IBoT 2.35 obv. 7

(CTH 751, MS)

The grammatical assignment of this verb is tentative; cf. under Meaning.

[D.S.]

The word tēmaḫ occurs right after the god Ziparwa has been summoned to eat bread. In a parallel text, the words šūšte (ḫaši) ḫanda are found instead of tēmaḫ. Since the god Ziparwa stands in the vocative right before tēmaḫ, it is tempting to take the latter as an imperative just like it is suggested for šūšte and ḫaši; see under the respective lemma. No meaning can be offered for tēmaḫ; cf. Kammenhuber 1959a:13, Carruba 1970a:74.

[D.S.]

Assuming that the assignment of Pal. tēmaḫ as a verb is correct, we posit tentatively a factitive in -aḫḫ-; cf. Hitt. -aḫḫ-^(ḫi), which would account for the athematic inflection of the imperative tēmaḫ.

[D.S.]

Kammenhuber 1959a:13 and Carruba 1970a:74 suggest a Hattic origin, which is completely unfounded. Until positive evidence of a Hattic loanword emerges, the word tēmaḫ is treated as Palaic. No Etymology Possible.

[D.S.]