marušamma/i-

This word is attested in oracle texts and texts of the palace administration (all NS).

[E.R.]

nom. sg. c.	ma-ru-؜ša-me-eš	KUB 42.16 iv 2’	(CTH 243, NS)
	ma-ru-ša-mi-iš	Msk. 74.57 i 30	(CTH 566, NS)
nom. pl. c.	ma-ru-ša-m[e-iš]	KUB 42.16 ii 2’	(CTH 243, NS)
	ma-ru-ša-me-iš	KUB 42.16 iv 3’	(CTH 243, NS)
	ma-r[u-ša-me-iš]	KUB 42.16 iv 5’	(CTH 243, NS)
		KUB 42.16 iv 6’	(CTH 243, NS)
nom./acc. pl. n.	ma-ru-ša-am-ma	KUB 22.70 rev. 11 (bis)	(CTH 566, NS)
	ma-ru-ša-a[m-ma]	KUB 22.70 rev. 12	(CTH 566, NS)
	[m]a-ru-ša-ma	KUB 42.60, 2’	(CTH 243, NS)
	[ma-r]u-ša-ma	IBoT 3.110, 6’	(CTH 243, NS)
	ma-ru-[ša-ma]	IBoT 3.110, 9’	(CTH 243, NS)

The use of the Glossenkeil is rare, although it may have occurred also in the attestations whose beginning is broken. The relationship with the odd form marušašaš of IBoT 1.31 obv. 16 is not fully clear: see s.v.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

[E.R.]

The word is always used as an adjective modifying garments and surely the participle of an otherwise unattested verb *maruša-; since many of the garments in the same contexts are qualified by color words, it was assumed that this word may denote a color, too. Since marušamma/i- is contrasted with ‘white’, Güterbock 1956a:122f. thought of ‘black, dark’ or ‘of mixed color, multicolored’. This translation failed to spread because the suggestion by Forrer 1919a:1039 (later also advocated by Güterbock 1956b:116 n. b), according to which the family of words from maruw- meant ‘red’ and this participle ‘red, reddened’, gained traction. Although it was still followed in DLL:69, HHw:102, and Ünal 1978a:84f., it was finally proved wrong by CHD L-N:201. Now, the word is usually translated ‘(of) dark blue, black’; thus Starke 1986a:164 (‘blau gefärbt’), CLL:141, DCL:s.v., HEG L-M:151, Ünal 2007a:434f. (the last two still cite the translation ‘rot’), HED M:89, EDHIL:562, and Burgin 2022b:221 and 340f. (either ‘blackened’ or ‘black’; Burgin 2022a:345 prefers ‘blackened, darkened’ instead of ‘black’, because this is transparently a participle).HW:332 did not translate it, while CHD L-N:203 simply stated that it was a color term, and Košak 1982a:202, 227 proposed that the adjective may also refer to the quality of the fabric, which is unnecessary. For the base meaning of the word family, to which this participle belongs, see also marwāi(ya)- ‘dark’ and maruwāi- ‘to blacken, to darken’. An original basic meaning ‘black, dark’ does not contradict the semantics ‘(of) dark blue’ for this lexeme, since it may be a secondary development, parallel to that of Greek κυάνεος ‘dark (in Homer), blue (in post-Homeric Greek)’ (see also Starke 1986a:164).

[E.R.]

The lexeme is a participle on a non-attested verb, which, according to DLL:69, HED M:89, Starke 1986a:164 and still Burgin 2022a:345, would be an imperfective stem built from maruwāi- ‘to blacken, to darken’.Differently, Güterbock 1956a:120, 122f. saw in the syllable -ša- a morpheme forming denominative verbs. This hypothesis does not stand up to scrutiny, since we would expect double -ss-. Therefore, a denominative adjective deriving a neuter s-stem *maruš- is far more likely: thus CLL:141 and DCL:s.v.The word is wrongly listed in CHD L-N:203 as marušam(m)e-: see Starke 1986a:164.

[E.R.]

The participle suffix in -mma/i- leaves no doubt concerning the Luwian origin of the lexeme, even if the Glossenkeil is not used systematically, as the entire word family can be regarded as Luwian; see under Lemma head.

[E.R.]

*This lemma was written together with the trainee Marco Ammazzini.

For the lemma head see CLuw. *maruwa-.