xaba-

This lexeme is found once in the poetical inscription engraved on the lion sarcophagus of Antiphellos, dated on stylistic grounds to the beginning of the 4^th century BCE (Zahle 1979a:318, Mühlbauer 2007a:91).

[D.S.]

unknown

xaba

TL 55.6 (Antiphellos)

Schürr 2005a:156 suggests a dative singular of an a-stem, which is not attractive, since the ending -i would be expected. The ending -a could represent a locative singular instead. However, if xaba (and xba) represents the name of a foreign deity, then it is possible that the name remains uninflected, and thus a dative singular would be possible; see under Meaning.

[D.S.]

Bugge 1901a:47 and Schürr 2005a:156 take xaba for a non-syncopated form of the word xba attested two lines earlier. The sequence xba ladã (TL 55.4) has been interpreted as a reflex of the Hurrian deity Ḫepat, i.e. ‘Lady Hepat’, likewise Lyc. A pddẽxba- (Neumann 2007a:114 with further literature). Though possible, this suggestion should be considered highly hypothetical. Alternatively, Gehrisch 2018a:111 suggests that xaba is related to Lyc. A xawa- ‘sheep’ with the Lycian B occasional sound change of w > b. However, based on the sentence, the word can hardly be nominative or accusative, since the subject is in the 1sg. and the direct object is already expressed as a common gender substantivized genitival adjective.

                muwax[a tuw]ẽmedi : xaba : tutasiz (TL 55.6)

                ‘I reinforced the (ones) belonging to the tuta with standing offerings at/for xaba.’

A different approach views the attested word as a form of *xba- ‘water’ (thus Shevoroshkin 2012a:472 and see xba(i)-^(di)), but this does not shed any light on the meaning of the sentence.

[D.S.]