Bābilim

Akkadian

Bābili (in Neo-Assyrian cuneiform)

𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim)

Etymology

The ancient interpretation by Akkadian speakers of the city name as bāb (“gate”) +‎ ilim (“of god”) is likely a folk etymology, later translated into Sumerian and written 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (ka₂ dig̃ir-ra^ki /⁠kan dig̃irak⁠/, literally “gate of god”). More at Babylon.

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈbaː.bi.lim/

Proper noun

Bābilim m

1. Babylon

Alternative forms

• Bābili (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (KA₂.DINGIR.RAki) 𒁷𒌁𒆠 (TIN.TIRki) 𒂊𒆠 (Eki) 𒉣𒆠 (NUNki)	𒁀𒁉𒅆 (ba-bi-lim) 𒁀𒁉𒅆𒆠 (ba-bi-limki) 𒁀𒀊𒉌𒉌 (ba-ab-i₃-li₂) 𒁀𒀊𒉌𒉌𒆠 (ba-ab-i₃-li₂ki) 𒁀𒁉𒇻 (ba-bi-lu)

Descendants

• → Ancient Greek: Βαβυλών (Babulṓn)
  • Greek: Βαβυλών (Vavylón), Βαβυλώνα (Vavylóna)
  • Latin: Babylōn
  • Russian: Вавилон (Vavilon)
• → Aramaic:
  • Classical Syriac: ܒܒܠ (bāḇel)
  • Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: בָבֶל (bāḇel)
  • Mandaic: ࡁࡀࡁࡉࡋ (bābīl)
  • → Arabic: بَابِل (bābil)
  • → Middle Persian: bʾbyl
    • Persian: بابل (bâbel)
• → Egyptian: bbr
• → Biblical Hebrew: בָּבֶל (bɔḇɛ́l)
  • → Israeli Hebrew: בָּבֶל (bavél)
• →? Old Armenian: բաւիղ (bawił, “labyrinth”), բաւիլ (bawil), բաւեղ (baweł)
• → Old Persian: 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢𐏁 (bābiruš)
• → Sumerian: 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (ka₂ dig̃ir-ra^ki /⁠kan dig̃irak⁠/, literally “gate of god”) (calque)

References

• Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2012) “Babylon”, in Places and peoples in Central Asia and in the Graeco-Roman Near East: A multilingual gazetteer compiled for the Serica Project from select Pre-Islamic sources‎^[1], page 7a
• Muss-Arnolt, William (1905) “Bābilu”, in A Concise Dictionary of the Assyrian Language, volume I, Berlin: Reuther & Reichard, pages 144–145

Further reading

• Babylon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia