ܣܣܐ

Classical Syriac

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *sūs- (“moth; insect especially one that bites or chews up materials”), from Proto-Afroasiatic *suʔw- (“a kind of insect”); cognates with Akkadian 𒌨𒈨 (sāsum, “moth”), Jewish Babylonian Aramaic סָסָא (sāsā), Hebrew סָס (sās), Arabic سَاس (sās), سُوس (sūs), سُوسَة (sūsa), Amharic ፃፄ (ṣ́aṣ́e). Compare Old Armenian ցեց (cʻecʻ), Middle Persian sʾs (sās, “bug”), Persian ساس (sâs), and Ancient Greek σής (sḗs), Semitic loanwords.

Alternative forms

• ܫܘܫܐ (šūšā)
• ܫܫܐ (šāšā)

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key): [ˈsɑ.sɑ]
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈsɑ.sɑ]
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈso.so]

Noun

ܣܣܐ • (sāsā) c (plural ܣܣܐ (sāsē))

1. moth
   • Peshitta, Matthew 6:19:

     ܠܐ ܬܣܝܡܘܢ ܠܟܘܢ ܣܝܡܬܐ ܒܐܪܥܐ: ܐܬܪ ܕܣܣܐ ܘܐܟܠܐ ܡܚܒܠܝܢ

     lā ṯəsīmūn ləḵōn sīmāṯā ḇə-ʾarʿā, ʾăṯar də-sāsā wə-ʾāḵlā məḥabbəlīn

     Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt

2. maggot, grub, larva
3. worm
4. decay, rottenness

Inflection

    inflection of ܣܣܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝܢ
construct	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝ
emphatic	ܣܣܐ	ܣܣܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܣܣܝ	ܣܣܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟ	ܣܣܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟܝ	ܣܣܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܣܣܢ	ܣܣܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܘܢ	ܣܣܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܝܢ	ܣܣܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܘܢ	ܣܣܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܝܢ	ܣܣܝܗܝܢ

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key): [ˈsɛs.sɑ]
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈsɪs.sɑ]
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈse.so]

Noun

ܣܣܐ • (sessā) m (plural ܣܣܐ (sessē))

1. inch (unit of length)
2. (pathology) kind of sore: wart; blister, vesicle

Inflection

    inflection of ܣܣܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝܢ
construct	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝ
emphatic	ܣܣܐ	ܣܣܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܣܣܝ	ܣܣܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟ	ܣܣܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟܝ	ܣܣܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܣܣܢ	ܣܣܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܘܢ	ܣܣܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܝܢ	ܣܣܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܘܢ	ܣܣܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܝܢ	ܣܣܝܗܝܢ

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key): [ˈsas.sɑ], [ˈsɛs.sɑ]
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈsas.sɑ], [ˈsɪs.sɑ]
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈsɑ.so], [ˈse.so]

Noun

ܣܣܐ • (sassā, sessā) m (plural ܣܣܐ (sassē, sessē))

1. (architecture) vault
2. (astronomy) stars of the Milky Way

Inflection

    inflection of ܣܣܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝܢ
construct	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝ
emphatic	ܣܣܐ	ܣܣܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܣܣܝ	ܣܣܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟ	ܣܣܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟܝ	ܣܣܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܣܣܢ	ܣܣܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܘܢ	ܣܣܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܝܢ	ܣܣܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܘܢ	ܣܣܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܝܢ	ܣܣܝܗܝܢ

Etymology 4

From Ancient Greek σῶσσος (sôssos), from Akkadian 𒋗𒅆 (šuši /⁠šūš⁠/, “a unit of sixty”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key): [ˈsas.sɑ]
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈsas.sɑ]
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈsɑ.so]

Noun

ܣܣܐ • (sassā) m (plural ܣܣܐ (sassē) or ܣܘܣܘ (sōsō))

1. sossos, period of 60 years

Inflection

    declension of ܣܣܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝܢ
construct	ܣܣ	ܣܣܝ
emphatic	ܣܣܐ	ܣܘܣܘ ,ܣܣܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܣܣܝ	ܣܣܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟ	ܣܣܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܣܣܟܝ	ܣܣܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܣܣܗ	ܣܣܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܣܣܢ	ܣܣܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܘܢ	ܣܣܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܣܣܟܝܢ	ܣܣܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܘܢ	ܣܣܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܣܣܗܝܢ	ܣܣܝܗܝܢ

See also

• ܢܝܪܘ (/⁠nyrw⁠/)
• ܣܐܪܘܣ (/⁠sʾrws⁠/)

References

• “ss”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-12-01
• “ss²”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2020-04-10
• “swsw”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2020-04-10
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 225a
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 383b, 626b
• Payne Margoliouth, Jessie (1927) Supplement to the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, S.T.P., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 236b-237a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, pages 985b, 1025b