epēšum

Akkadian

Root
'-p-š
1 term

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ḥapaś- (to search, gather). Cognate with Arabic حَفَشَ (ḥafaša, “to gather”) and Biblical Hebrew חָפַשׂ (ḥɔp̄áś, “to search”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /eˈpeː.ʃum/

Verb

epēšum (G, e-u or u, durative ippeš or ippuš, perfect ītepeš or ītepuš, preterite īpuš, imperative epuš) (from Old Assyrian/Old Babylonian on)

1. (intransitive) to act, behave, proceed, be(come) active
2. (transitive) to do, make, build, manufacture
3. (transitive) to do, carry out, excercise (a function), used mainly in idiomatic phrases.

Usage notes

The class u inflection appears in later Babylonian texts.

Conjugation

Conjugation
Infinitive		epēšum
Participle		ēpišum
Adjective		epšum
Active		Durative	Preterite	Perfect	Imperative
1.sg		eppeš	ēpuš	ētepeš	lūpuš
2.sg	m	teppeš	tēpuš	tētepeš	epuš
	f	teppešī	tēpušī	tētepšī	epšī
3.sg		ippeš	īpuš	ītepeš	līpuš
1.pl		nippeš	nīpuš	nītepeš	i nīpuš
2.pl		teppešā	tēpušā	tētepšā	epšā
3.pl	m	ippešū	īpušū	ītepšū	līpušū
	f	ippešā	īpušā	ītepšā	līpušā
This table gives Old Babylonian inflection. For conjugation in other dialects, see Appendix:Akkadian dialectal conjugation.

Alternative forms

• epēšu (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒆕 (DU₃) 𒀝 (AK, AG) (occasionally) 𒄀 (GI) (occasionally)	𒂊𒉿𒋗 (e-pe-šu) 𒂊𒉿𒋙 (e-pe-šu₂)

Derived terms

• epištum (“deed”)
• epšum (“built; prepared; cultivated”)
• ipšum (“action; sorcery”)
• ēpišum (“builder, artisan; sorcerer”)

 

References

• “epēšu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “epēšu(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag