āšḫarnummai-

The lexeme is attested once in a MS copy of a ritual of Kuwattalla and Šilalluḫi.

[E.R.]

3pl. pres. ind. act.

a-aš-ḫar-nu-um-ma-i[n]-t[i]

KUB 35.18 i 13

(CTH 760, MS)

For discussion, see below under Origin.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photograph of the Konkordanz. The reading of -in- is beyond doubt, but only the beginning of the first horizontal wedge of the final -t[i] is left (reading as per Yakubovich, pers. comm., against -z[i] by Starke 1990a:272).

[E.R.]

The word is attested following ‘their feet’ in fragmentary context:

]x-uš GÌR.MEŠ-ŠUNU āšḫarnummai[n]t[i]

The NS parallel KBo 29.3(+) i 7 features:

GÌR.MEŠ-ŠUNU kuēz išḫarnumanzi
‘with which they color their feet blood-red’

The assignment of meaning as ‘to color blood-red’ is corroborated by the analysis of stem formation. Following Starke 1990a:272, we are dealing with a chain āšḫarnu- ‘to bloody’ → āšḫarnu-mman- ‘result of bloodying’ → āšḫarnu-mm(an)-(a)i- ‘to color blood-red’.

[E.R.]

The form, now read as āšḫarnummai[n]t[i], belongs to either a verb āšḫarnumm(a)i-^(di) or āšḫarnumma(i)-^(di). The latter is to be preferred, as the class consists of denominative verbs, while they are exceptional in the former class. Outdated Melchert’s (Melchert 1994a:245, CLL:36) analysis as an adjective in -aya/i- to virtual *āšḫarnumman- ‘act of bloodying’.

[E.R.]

Starke 1990a:556, reading -ainz[i], interprets the form differently as a Hittitized ad hoc form (prs. 3pl.) of a CLuw. verb ašḫarnumm(a)i-. The reading -ai[n]t[i] as suggested by Ilya Yakubovich (pers. comm.), makes the complicated scenario unnecessary. The form āšḫarnummai[n]t[i] is genuinely Luwian.

[E.R.]

For the lemma head see CLuw. āšḫar/n-.