ašriwant(i)-

The lexeme is attested once in a small fragment that has been classified as mythological.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photograph of the Konkordanz. – A reading aš-tal-wa-an-tin-zi cannot be entirely excluded but does not allow for any synchronic connection with other lexemes.

[E.R.]

The lexeme is attested in fragmentary context. Even the indirect join that was suggested by Starke 1985b:250-252 and contained reminiscent ašrul(i)- ‘female’ has to be abandoned (see Konkordanz). Thus, the only clue to its meaning is stem formation. There is agreement about the obvious interpretation as a possessive stem in -want(i)- (cf. Starke 1990a:170, CLL:37, Maier 2013a:205, HEG Š:861 et al.). Regarding the base, two possibilities have been raised. Starke 1990a:170 starts from an “i/ya-Stamm” meaning ‘woman’ and interprets ašriwant(i)- as “die, welche mit einer Frau versehen sind” (= “Ehemänner”). However nowadays, the -i/ya- stem class is translated into the adjectival mutated -i(ya)- class (cf. Melchert 1990a). Since possessive -want(i)- should have a substantival base, the -i(ya)- adjective must have been substantivized. Thus, a chain *asr(i)- ‘woman’ → *asr-i(ya)- adj. ‘feminine’ → *asr-iya- n. ‘femininity’ → *asr-iya-want(i)- ‘having femininity’ has to be assumed, which with syncope of -iya- came out as ašriwant(i)-. Alternatively, Melchert 1999e:372 n. 2, followed in HEG Š:861 thinks of pre-i-mutation *asr- ‘woman’, thematized as *asr-a- adj. ‘feminine’, built into an -i- abstract noun *asr-i- ‘femininity’, and finally derived with possessive -want(i)- as ašr-i-want(i)- ‘having femininity’. In terms of semantics, the outcome is the same. It must, however, be emphasized that there is no contextual support for these claims.

[E.R.]

For the lemma head see CLuw. *asr(i)-.