libittum

Akkadian

Etymology

From a reconstructed Proto-Semitic *labin(a)t (“brick”); diffusing to other Semitic languages via the Akkadian term seems difficult to account and there has been no compelling reason to assume the Akkadian is the original source. More distantly a possible connection to Proto-Semitic *laban- (“dairy”) with compared developed verbal senses, to strain milk or yogurt of its whey, to thicken or coagulate, to solidify, to dry out, to become firm or solid pieces; hence the connection to drying and solidifying of bricks. Compare Eblaite 𒇷𒁀𒌈 (li-ba-tum /⁠libittum, libattum⁠/), Ugaritic 𐎍𐎁𐎐𐎚 (lbnt, “brick”), Hebrew לְבֵנָה (ləḇenɔ́, “sun-baked or dried-out brick”), Aramaic לְבִינְּתָּא (/⁠ləḇinṯā, ləḇittā⁠/), Classical Syriac ܠܒܬܐ (/⁠ləḇettā⁠/), Arabic لِبْنَة (libna) and لَبِنَة (labina).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /liˈbit.tum/

Noun

libittum f (construct state libitti, plural libnātum) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. mudbrick, brick
2. (often in the plural) brickwork
3. slab, cake, block (of material other than mud, like metal, stone, potash, dung, etc.)

Alternative forms

• libittu (non-mimated)
• labittu (El-Amarna)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒋞 (SIG₄, MURGU)	𒇷𒁉𒀉𒌈 (li-bi-it-tum) 𒇷𒂍𒌈 (li-bit-tum)

Descendants

• → Hurrian: 𒀀𒈜𒋾 (a-lib-ti /⁠alipši⁠/)
  • → Old Armenian: աղիւս (ałiws)
    • Armenian: աղյուս (aġyus), օղիս (ōġis), օղես (ōġes), աղոս (aġos), ուղիս (uġis) — dialectal
      • → Persian: آخیز (âxiz)
    • Middle Armenian: աղոյս (aġoys)
    • → Old Georgian: ალიზი (alizi)
      • Georgian: ალიზი (alizi)
        • → Armenian: ալիզ (aliz) — Tbilisi
  • → Ancient Greek: ἄλιψ (álips)

References

• “libittum”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Huehnergard, John (2011) A Grammar of Akkadian (Harvard Semitic Studies; 45), 3rd edition, Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns
• Agmon, Noam & Bloch, Yigal. (2013). Statistics of Language Morphology Change: From Biconsonantal Hunters to Triconsonantal Farmers.
• Kaufman, Stephen A. (1974) The Akkadian Influences on Aramaic (The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago Assyriological Studies; 19)‎^[2], Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 66