ba: n., share, portion; rations, wages [BA archaic frequency: 523].

v., to give; to divide, apportion, distribute; to pay (interchanges with bar).

conjugation prefix, used when the subject is inanimate and/or non-agentive (intransitive).

possessive or demonstrative suffix -bi plus nominative -a.

^(ku6)ba: a shelled creature (such as a turtle or a snail); a scraping tool.

bà: liver; liver model; omen.

ba₄: Emesal dialect, cf., á, 'house'.

ba₇: (cf., bar).

be: (cf., bad).

bi, bé: v., to diminish, lessen; to speak, say (accusative infix b 3rd pers. sing. neuter + e 'to speak'); to murmer, chirp, twitter, buzz, hum, howl, cry; mention (cf., biz; bi[z]) [KAŠ archaic frequency: 261; concatenates 4 sign variants].

pron., it.

poss. suffix, 'its' applies to inanimate (things and animals) and collective objects.

demonstrative suffix, this (one), that (one) - in this sense can occur with animates.

conj., and.

art., the.

adv., adverbial force suffix.

conjugation prefix, differentiates the semantic meaning of certain verbs.

bí: (cf., i-bí).

bi₆ [BA]: to tear; to tear off (with -ta-).

bi₇: (cf., bìd).

bu_(3,6): (cf., bur₁₂; bul) [BU: archaic frequency: 393; concatenation of 2 sign variants].

bu₅: to rush around (cf., bul).

da: n., arm; side; nearness (to someone) [DA archaic frequency: 227; concatenation of 4 sign variants].

v., to hold; to be near; to protect.

prep., comitative suffix, 'with'; copula, 'and' (mainly in Sargonic date texts).

da₅: (cf., dab₆).

dé: to pour (often with -ni-); to water; to increase, be full; to shape, form; to instruct; to sink (for other meanings - cf., de_6,2; ég; gù...dé).

dè: ashes; marû form suffix - often indicates a present participle to be translated by English -ing or connotes future sense. Used like the terminative postposition -šè after verbal phrases to indicate intent or goal.

de₅, di₅ [RI]: to advise; to remove (earth clods) (reduplicated).

de_6,2, e₆: to bring, carry (-ši- or -ta- denote direction); to continue on (singular hamtu, cf., tumu_2,3, lah₄; Emesal ga₍₁₄₎).

di: n., lawsuit, case; judgment, decision, verdict; sentence [DI archaic frequency: 99].

v., to judge, decide; to conduct oneself; to go; to escape (di-dé used as non-finite marû form of dug₄, 'to speak').

di₄: (cf., tur).

du: to walk; to go; to come (sing. marû, cf., in, re₇, súb) [DU archaic frequency: 299].

dú: (cf., tud).

dù('), ú: n., work; totality.

v., to build, make; to mould, cast; to erect something on the ground; to raise up; to set up; to plant; to fasten, apply (dù-e in marû).

du₅: (cf., sug₅)

du₆: (cf., dul₍₆₎).

du₇: to be finished, complete; to be suitable, fitting; to be necessary; to butt, gore, toss (reduplication class?) (regularly followed by rá) [DU₇ archaic frequency: 7].

du₈: (cf., duh).

du₉: (cf., dun₅).

du₁₀: (cf., dùg).

du₁₁: (cf., dug₄).

du₁₂: (cf., tuku).

du₁₄: quarrel, struggle, fight.

ga: n., milk (chamber + water) [GA archaic frequency: 245; concatenation of 3 sign variants].

conjugation prefix, 'also'; 'and then'.

modal prefix, cohortative, used with hamtu forms.

ga₆: (cf., gùr).

ge_(2,6): girl.

gi: reed; length measure, reed = 6 cubits = 3 meters (circular + to sprout) [GI archaic frequency: 484].

gi(n), ge(n): v., to act justly; to stabilize, strengthen; to confirm; to establish something as the property of someone (dative) (loanword from Semitic, Orel & Stolbova #1403, *ka'Vn- 'be true', Akkadian kânu; cf., in, en).

adj., just; firm; fixed; reliable, trustworthy.

gi₍₄₎: to surround, besiege; to lock up (circle + to descend into).

gi₍₁₇₎: n., young man (small and thin like a reed).

adj., small.

gí, gé: reed mat.

gi₄, ge₄: to return, come back; to send (back) (with -ši-); to reject, dislike; to restore; to answer (person to whom answer is given resumed by dative prefix, and with -ni-) (circular motion + to go out, send) [GI₄ archaic frequency: 37; concatenation of 3 sign variants].

gi₇: (cf., gir₁₅).

gi₉, ge₉: (cf., gir₁₀).

gi₁₇: (cf., gig).

gi₂₅[DUGUD]: (cf., gíg).

gu: string, thread; wool yarn; flax; hemp; snare; net; orig. word for needle (circular + grass-like) [GU archaic frequency: 53].

gú: neck; nape; river bank; side; other side; edge; front; land; pulse, chick pea (for 'land, district' cf., gún; for 'load; talent' cf., gun; gún, gú) (circular + u₅, 'on top of'; cf., Orel & Stolbova #982, *gun- "occiput, neck, nape") [GU₂ archaic frequency: 34].

gu_2,4: (cf., gud₍₂₎).

gù: n., noise, sound; voice.

v., to exclaim; to utter a cry (said of an animal) (throat + u_(3,4,8), 'cries, screams').

gu₇, kú: n., food, sustenance; fodder; angle [GU₇ archaic frequency: 236].

v., to eat, swallow, consume, use; to eat up, finish off; to feed, nurse, benefit (with -ni-) (throat + ú, 'food').

á: basket; house; stable (cf., ar) [GA₂ archaic frequency: 125; concatenation of 5 sign variants].

á: (cf., ál, ar, e₂₆ and ma₍₃₎).

e: (cf., me).

e₆: (cf., gíg).

e₂₆, á: I, myself; my.

i₆: (cf., gíg).

u₁₀: my, mine.

ha: precative and affirmative verbal prefix: may; let; indeed.

*ha: fish (not the usual word for fish, but the fish sign may get its syllabic reading of HA from *h 'many' + a 'water' = 'fish', an alternative to the usual ku₆, kua) [KU₆ archaic frequency: 282; concatenates 3 sign variants].

há, hi-a: numerous; diverse; assorted; mixed.

hà, hù, a₆, u: ten (usually written: u).

he, hi: to mix [HI archaic frequency: 291].

he₍₂₎: abundance; abundant.

hé: precative and affirmative verbal prefix (same as ha).

hu: bird (earlier word than mušen).

ia_2,7,9, í: five.

ìa, ì: n., oil, fat, cream.

impersonal verbal conjugation prefix, indicates distance from speaker.

ia₄, i₄: pebble, counter.

ka: mouth [KA archaic frequency: 108; concatenates 2 sign variants].

ka: in late usage the difference between a rough measuring and a final measuring of a quantity of grain.

ká: gate [? KA₂ archaic frequency: 11; concatenates 4 sign variants].

ka₅-(a): fox.

ka₉: (cf., kas₇ and ní-kas₇/ka₉).

-ke₄: often occurs at the end of a genitival compound which functions as the actor or agent of the sentence (ak, genitival suffix 'of', + e, ergative agent marker).

ki: n., earth; place; area; location; ground; grain ('base' + 'to rise, sprout') [KI archaic frequency: 386; concatenates 2 sign variants].

prep., where; wherever, whenever; behind.

kì: (cf., kìd).

ku: to base, found, build; to lie down (reduplication class) [KU archaic frequency: 64; concatenates 3 sign variants].

kú: (cf., gu₇).

kù: (cf., kug).

ku₄: (cf., kur₉).

ku₅: (cf., kud).

ku₆, kua: fish (kú, 'food', + a, 'water') [KU₆ archaic frequency: 282; concatenates 3 sign variants].

ku₇: (cf., kuruš).

ku₁₀: (cf., gíg).

la: abundance, luxury, wealth; youthful freshness and beauty; bliss, happiness; wish, desire [LA archaic frequency: 20; concatenates 4 sign variants].

lá: to penetrate, pierce, force a way into (in order to see); to know; to look after; to have a beard (cf. also, lal) [LA₂ archaic frequency: 57].

^(iš)li: juniper/cedar tree [LI archaic frequency: 14].

lí: true measure; fine oil.

li₉: to glisten, shine.

lu: n., many, much; man, men, people; sheep.

v., to be/make numerous, abundant; to multiply; to mix; to graze, pasture (reduplication class [?]) (cf., lug).

lú: grown man; male; human being; someone, anyone, no one; gentleman [LU₂ archaic frequency: 85].

lù: to disturb, agitate, trouble; to fluster, embarrass; to stir, blend.

lu₅: (cf., lub, lul).

ma: to bind (Emesal dialect for ál; á) [MA archaic frequency: 250].

ma₍₃₎; á: to go (Akk. alaaku).

^(iš)má: boat [MA₂ archaic frequency: 6].

mà: (Emesal dialect for á-e).

ma₄: to leave, depart, go out (cf., mud₆).

ma₅: (cf., mù).

me, mì; e: n., function, office, responsibility; ideal norm; the phenomenal area of a deity's power; divine decree, oracle; cult [ME archaic frequency: 363; concatenates 2 sign variants].

v., to be; the Sumerian copula; to say, tell.

poss. suffix, our.

mé: (cf., gíg).

me_3,6,7,9: battle [ME₃ archaic frequency: 4].

me₆: to act, behave.

mi: (cf., gíg).

mí[SAL]: n., woman; female (this pronunciation of the sign found in compound words and verbs or in enclitic or proclitic position, Hallo & van Dijk, p. 85) (cf. also, mu₁₀, munus) (compounds are more likely to preserve an older word) [SAL archaic frequency: 435].

adj., feminine.

mu: n., name; word; year; line on a tablet, entry; oath (cf., u₁₀) [MU archaic frequency: 99].

v., to name, speak (cf., mug).

prep., because.

conjugation prefix, suggests involvement by speaker, used especially before dative infixes, preferred for animate and agentive subjects.

mú: (cf., mud₆).

mù, ma₅[KA׊È]: to mill, grind; to burn (reduplication class).

mu₄: (cf., mur₁₀).

mu₅: well-formed, beautiful; plump, fattened.

mu₇[KA×LI]: to shout, scream, roar; exorcism ?.

mu₁₀[SAL]: woman; female (cf. also, mí, munus) [SAL archaic frequency: 435].

na: n., human being; incense [NA archaic frequency: 105; concatenates 3 sign variants].

adj., no.

modal prefix, emphatic in past tense; prohibitive in present/future tense.

ná, nú: (cf., nud).

na₄; na: pebble, rock, ordinary stone; stone weight; token; hailstone.

na₅: chest, box.

ne(-e), ne.en: this (one); that (one); demonstrative affix [NE archaic frequency: 303; concatenation of 4 sign variants].

nè; ní: strength, vigor, violence; forces, host.

ni; na: he, she; that one (human animate pronoun or possessive suffix) [NI archaic frequency: 263; concatenation of 2 sign variants].

ní: self; body; one's own [NI₂ archaic frequency: 34].

ní; ne₄: fear; respect; frightfulness; awe.

nì: (cf., ní).

ni₉: (cf., nìin).

nu: n., image, likeness, picture, figurine, statue [NU archaic frequency: 101].

adj. & adv., no, not; without; negative.

pron., a pronominal prefix in a compound noun describing a person; or a phonetic writing for lú.

nu₁₁[ŠIR]: light; fire, lamp; alabaster [NU₁₁ archaic frequency: 32].

^(iš)pa: leaf, bud, sprout; branch; wing; feather [PA archaic frequency: 378; concatenation of 2 sign variants].

pà: (cf., pàd).

pa_4,5,6(-r): irrigation ditch, small canal, dike.

pú: well, cistern, pool, fountain; depth [PU₂ archaic frequency: 37].

ra(-g/h): n., inundation [RA archaic frequency: 25].

v., to strike, stab, slay; to stir; to impress, stamp, or roll (a seal into clay); to branch out (from the side of a canal); to flood, overflow; to measure; to pack, haul, or throw away (with -ta-).

prep., dative suffix - for - denotes the animate being towards whom or in favor of whom an action is done.

rá: (cf., re₇).

rà: (cf., ara₄).

re₇; ri₆, rá, ir₁₀; e-re₇; er, ir: to accompany, lead; to bear; to go; to drive along or away; to stir, mix (plural hamtu e.re₇.er; cf., du, in, súb).

ri: v., to throw, cast; to place, pour, put into; to place upon or against (with -ši-); to be located; to touch; to moor a boat; to break open; to expel, remove, throw away, sweep away (with -ta-); to emit; to beget; to blow (said of a storm); to inundate; to exchange; to take; to gather, glean; to plan something (ri is hamtu form, ri-g is marû form, ri-ri-g is plural; cf., rig) [RI archaic frequency: 1].

adj., far.

demonstrative affix, that, those; regarding that (where the reference is to something outside the view of the speaker - over yonder).

RI: calendar month 5 at Umma during Ur III.

ru: n., present, gift [RU archaic frequency: 120].

v., to blow; to give; to send (cf., rúg).

rú: (cf., dù).

rù: to be equal in size or rank.

ru₅: to send forth shoots, buds, or blossoms; to butt; to gore.

sa: n., sinew, tendon; cord; net; mat; bundle; string of a musical instrument [SA archaic frequency: 54; concatenates 2 sign variants].

v., to roast (barley) (cf., si; sa).

sá: n., advice.

v., to approach or equal in value; to compare with; to compete (with -da-).

sa₄: to name; to call by name.

sa₅: n., red ocher.

adj., red, red-brown.

sa₆: (cf., sag₉).

sa₇: well-formed.

sa₉[MAŠ]: half.

sa₁₀: to be equivalent; to buy (cf., sám).

sa₁₂: (cf., sa).

si: n., horn(s); antenna(e); line; ray(s); light; plowland (cf., sig₅) [SI archaic frequency: 417].

v., to stand upright; to be straight; to be in order; to become completely still.

adj., regular, normal.

si; su; sa; sa₅: v., to fill up; to fill with (with -da-); to survey a field; to inundate; to be full; to be sufficient, enough; to increase; to compensate, repay, replace; to grow weak (probably reduplication class) (cf., sum, sug₆, rúg, sig, sig₅).

adj., suitable, fit.

sì, sè: (cf., sig₁₀).

si₄, su₄, sa₁₁: red [SI₄ archaic frequency: 116; concatenates 5 sign variants].

si₁₄: a small pot.

su: n., body; flesh; skin; animal hide; relatives; substitute (as verb, cf., si; sug₆ or rúg) [SU archaic frequency: 188; concatenates 2 sign variants].

adj., naked.

^lúSU: Subarian.

su₍₃₎: (cf., sud, sug₄) [SU₃ archaic frequency: 6].

sú: (cf., zu)

su₄: to grow; to multiply.

su₅: (cf., suh₅).

su₆: (cf., sun₄).

su₇: (cf., sug₈).

su₈: (cf., súg, súb).

su₉; ša₄: n., red ocher.

v., to mourn, grieve.

su₁₁: (cf., zú).

su₁₃: (cf., sud₄).

su_x (TAG): to spread (cf., sud).

ša: to dry up [ŠA archaic frequency: 97].

šà: (cf., šag₄).

ša₄, še₁₃: (cf., su₉).

ša₅: to cut, break (reeds).

ša₆: (cf., sag₉).

še: n., barley; grain; a small length measure, barleycorn = 1/6 finger = 1/30 cubit = 1.67 centimeter in Presarg.-OB period; as a surface area measure = 432 square linear barleycorns = 12 square fingers; as a volume measure = 1/180 gín = 1/3 gín-tur = 1 2/3 sìla = 360 cubic fingers = 1/10800 sar = approx. 1.667 liters; 1/180 of a gín or shekel of silver = ca. 0.0463 grams (cf., še-ga/ge) [ŠE archaic frequency: 639; concatenates 3 sign variants].

demonstrative affix, may indicate 'there' within the view of the speaker.

šè: n., portion [ŠE₃ archaic frequency: 152].

prep., to, unto, as far as, up to; as regards, concerning; because of, for the sake of; until (terminative suffix and in Old Sumerian period terminative prefix).

še₄: (cf., sed).

še₆: (cf., še₆).

še₇: (cf., šè).

še₈: (cf., šéš).

še₁₀: excrement, dung.

še₁₇: (cf., sed₄).

še₂₉[LÚ×KÁR, LÚ-KÁR]: (cf., šaa).

ši: contrapunctive modal prefix; terminative prefix after Old Sumerian period (cf., šè).

šu: n., hand; share, portion, bundle; strength; control [ŠU archaic frequency: 360].

v., to pour.

šú: (cf., šúš).

šu₄(-g): to stand; to be deployed, set up (plural, reduplication class).

šu₄: (cf., šuš).

šu₁₂: (cf., šùde).

ta, dá: n., nature, character [TA archaic frequency: 34; concatenates 6 sign variants].

prep., from; to; for; by means of (ablative-instrumental noun suffix and verbal prefix; as a noun suffix can be a locative with remote deixis, as in an-ta and ki-ta).

ta₆: (cf., taka₄).

te, de₄: n., cheek, chin (cf., temen) [TE archaic frequency: 199].

te, de₄; ti: v., to approach, meet (someone: dative); to attack, assault; to be frightened (alternating class, hamtu stem; cf., te-e₂₆).

tè: an alkaline plant (?); soapwort (?); cardamon (cf., naa).

te₈[Á]^mušen: bearded vulture.

ti: side, rib; arrow (cf., te, dih, and tìl) [TI archaic frequency: 105; concatenates 2 sign variants].

tu: to interfere (cf., tud and tur₅) [TU archaic frequency: 54; concatenates 3 sign variants].

tu^mušen: (cf., tum₁₂^mušen).

tú: (cf., tam).

tu_2,3: (cf., tumu_2,3).

tu_5,17: n., bath.

v., to wash, bathe; to pour; to make libation (probably reduplication class).

tu₆: exorcism; conjuration; exorcistic formula.

tu₇: soup; soup pitcher.

tu₉: (cf., túg).

tu_10,11: (cf., dun).

tu₁₅: (cf., tumu).

za: you (singular).

za: to make noise (occurs as the verb in compounds with repetitive, onomatopoeic syllables symbolizing a repeated monotonous noise or motion (Krebernik, Beschwörungen, p. 70, summarizes the different compounds that occur in ED IIIB texts).

za₍₂₎: precious stone, gemstone; bead; hailstone; pit; kernel [ZA archaic frequency: 9].

zà: (cf., zag).

zé[ZÍ]: to cut; to shear, cut hair; to pluck (Emesal dialect for dùg, cf., zil; zé-er).

zi: n., breathing; breath (of life); throat; soul (cf., zid, zìg) [ZI archaic frequency: 116; concatenates 3 sign variants].

v., (with -r Auslaut) to destroy; to annihilate.

zí: stench; bile; bitter.

zì: (cf., zíd).

zu, sú: n., wisdom, knowledge.

v., to know; to understand; to inform, teach (in marû reduplicated form); to learn from someone (with -da-); to recognize someone (with -da-); to be experienced, qualified.

adj., your (as suffix).

pron., yours.

zú, su₁₁[KA]: tooth, teeth; prong; thorn; blade; ivory; flint, chert; obsidian; natural glass.

zu₅: (cf., azu).

Copyright © 1996-1999 John Alan Halloran, Los Angeles, California. All Rights Reserved.
Last modified on August 9, 1999.
https://www.sumerian.org/sumcv.htm