ܦܠܚܐ

Classical Syriac

Etymology 1

From the root ܦ-ܠ-ܚ (p-l-ḥ) related to working.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pɑlħɑ(ʔ)] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [pɑlħe(ʔ)], [pɑlaħwɑθɑ(ʔ)] (plural)

Noun

ܦܠܚܐ • (transliteration needed) m (plural ܦܠܚܘܬܐ or ܦܠܚܐ, singular feminine counterpart ܦܠܚܬܐ)

1. servant, attendant, agent, minister
2. artisan
3. (military) soldier
4. worker, peasant
5. vintner
6. worshipper

Usage notes

Usually, the plural ܦܠܚܐ (pālḥē(ʾ)) is a paucal plural (from two to ten) while the plural ܦܠܚܘܬܐ (pālaḥwāṯā(ʾ)) is a multiple plural (eleven or more).

Inflection

    declension of ܦܠܚܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܦܠܚ	ܦܠܚܘܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܢ
construct	ܦܠܚ	ܦܠܚܘܬ ,ܦܠܚܝ
emphatic	ܦܠܚܐ	ܦܠܚܘܬܐ ,ܦܠܚܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܦܠܚܝ	ܦܠܚܘܬܝ ,ܦܠܚܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܦܠܚܟ	ܦܠܚܘܬܟ ,ܦܠܚܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܦܠܚܟܝ	ܦܠܚܘܬܟܝ ,ܦܠܚܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܘܬܗ ,ܦܠܚܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܘܬܗ ,ܦܠܚܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܦܠܚܢ	ܦܠܚܘܬܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܦܠܚܟܘܢ	ܦܠܚܘܬܟܘܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܦܠܚܟܝܢ	ܦܠܚܘܬܟܝܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܦܠܚܗܘܢ	ܦܠܚܘܬܗܘܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܦܠܚܗܝܢ	ܦܠܚܘܬܗܝܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܗܝܢ

Descendants

• → Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: pale

  Central Kurdish: پاڵە (palle)

Etymology 2

From the root ܦ-ܠ-ܚ (p-l-ḥ) related to working. Compare Aramaic פלחא.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pallɑħɑ(ʔ)] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [pallɑħe(ʔ)] (plural)

Noun

ܦܠܚܐ • (transliteration needed) m (plural ܦܠܚܐ, singular feminine counterpart ܦܠܚܬܐ)

1. worker
2. tiller, cultivator, farmer, agriculturalist
3. vintner, vinedresser
4. worshipper

Inflection

    inflection of ܦܠܚܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܦܠܚ	ܦܠܚܝܢ
construct	ܦܠܚ	ܦܠܚܝ
emphatic	ܦܠܚܐ	ܦܠܚܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܦܠܚܝ	ܦܠܚܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܦܠܚܟ	ܦܠܚܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܦܠܚܟܝ	ܦܠܚܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܦܠܚܢ	ܦܠܚܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܦܠܚܟܘܢ	ܦܠܚܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܦܠܚܟܝܢ	ܦܠܚܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܦܠܚܗܘܢ	ܦܠܚܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܦܠܚܗܝܢ	ܦܠܚܝܗܝܢ

Descendants

• → Arabic: فَلَّاح (fallāḥ)
  • → English: fellah
  • → French: fellah
  • → German: Fellache
  • Kurdish

    → Northern Kurdish: file, fele, fileh, fillah, fille

    → Central Kurdish: فەلە (fele)

  • → Russian: фелла́х (felláx)
  • → Swahili: falahi
  • → Ottoman Turkish: فلاح
    • Turkish: felah, fellah
    • → Aromanian: fileah
    • → Bulgarian: фела́х (feláh)
    • → Serbo-Croatian:
      • Cyrillic script: фѐла̄х
      • Latin script: fèlāh

References

• “plḥ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, p. 277a, b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 448a
• 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, pp. 1197b-1198a