# \*šVmaʕ- 'hear'

A Proto-Semitic root the Linear A Lexicon's readings rest on.

- Author's gloss: to hear, listen, heed, obey
- SED semet 155
- Record: https://github.com/plasma-ai/kaphtor/blob/50525edd50131a50e59ec82bf5132da0fa89efc9/wiki/semitic-roots/%C5%A1/216_hear.md

## In Linear A

- [JA-SA-MU](<https://linear-a.ai/lexicon/JA-SA-MU/index.md>) (yaśmaʿū): 'He hears'—yaqtal hypocoristic personal name with frozen nominative -ū

## Notes

Syllabic iš-ma-aḫ /yišmaʿ/ 'he heard' in personal names from Ugarit or Emar (OLA80 §45.8).

## Reflexes: East Semitic

- Akkadian: šemû (Kogan 2015, ch. 5 §2.3.2 no. 39) (gloss withheld)
- Eblaitic: sa-ma-um /šamāʕum/ (VE 393, Kogan–Krebernik 2021b: 683 apud SEDonline 26; Krebernik 1983, 15); iš-má-ma, áš-da-ma, sa-ma-um /S-m-ʿ/; /Sāmiʿ/: names sa-mi-um, sá-me-um (Sanmartín GlOS 2, 251–252); /š-m-ʿ/ (cf. Akk. šemûm): names iš-má-da-ar, iš-má-da-ba-an, iš-má-da-mu, iš-má-ga-lu, iš-má-gàr-du, iš-má-ì-lum, iš-má-il/NI, iš-má-li-im, iš-má-ma-lik, iš-má-šum, iš-má-zi-kir, áš-ma-zi-kir /yaš-/; with infixed /-ta-/: iš-da-má (Krebernik 1988, 50–52, 58) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Northwest Semitic

- Mandaic Aramaic: šma (MD 469)
- Ugaritic: šmʿ (Kogan 2015, ch. 5 §2.2.1 no. 39) (gloss withheld)
- Phoenician: šmʿ (Krahmalkov 470) (gloss withheld)
- Hebrew: šmʕ (Kogan 2015, ch. 4 §3.1.1.1 no. 39); šamaʿ; šmʕh (DNWSI 1166) (gloss withheld)
- Syrian Aramaic: šmʕ (Payne Smith 584)
- Aramaic: ŠMʿ (Aramaic Root Atlas; DNWSI 1164) (gloss withheld)
- Punic: šmʿ 'hear' [Anderson–Moser 2024 root šmʿ]
- Judaic Aramaic: mišmᵉʿā (HALOT 649); šəmaʿ (HALOT 1570; DJPA 558a apud CAL) (gloss withheld)
- Amorite: šamaʿ, yašmaʿ/yišmaʿ (Buck 2019, 332–333); S-m-ʿ: ia-áš-ma-ḫu-um, iš-mi-il-la, si-ma-aḫ-ni-i-la; Sāmiʿ: sa-me-ḫu-um, sa-mi-um, lu-ḫa-a-a-sa-mu/mi-um (Ur III); maSmiʿ: ma-aš-mi-a-na-am (Sanmartín GlOS 2, 251–252) (gloss withheld)
- Biblical Aramaic: šmʕ (HALOT 1570) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Arabic

- Arabic: smʕ [-a-] (Lane 1427)
- Pre-Islamic North Arabian: Safaitic smʿ (Al-Jallad–Jaworska 122); Dadanitic smʿ; Hismaic smʿ(t); Taymanitic smʿ; Dumaitic smʿ; Thamudic B smʿ; Dhofari smʿ (Al-Jallad 2026, 133) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Epigraphic South Arabian

- Epigraphic South Arabian: smʕ; Sab smʿ (Biella 338; Sabaweb lemma 3265) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Ethiopic and Modern South Arabian

- Mehri: hēma
- Soqotri: hyemaʕ
- Harsusi: hōma (mēšmēʔ) (gloss withheld)
- Tigre: sämʕa (Kogan 2015, ch. 7 §2.2 no. 39)
- Geez: smʕ; samʿa (Kogan 2015, ch. 7 §2.2 no. 39) (gloss withheld)
- Gurage: säma
- Amharic: sämma (Kogan 2015, ch. 7 §2.2 no. 39)
- Harari: sämaʾa [LHar 140] (gloss withheld)
- Gafat: sämmä
- Argobba: sämma
- Tigrinya: sämʕe (Kogan 2015, ch. 7 §2.2 no. 39)
- East Ethiopic: Sel. säma (EDG 545 apud SEDonline 26) (gloss withheld)
- Jibbali: šĩʕ (JL 262 apud SEDonline 26); pf. var. šãʿ (Rubin 2014 670) (gloss withheld)

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Page: https://linear-a.ai/roots/216/
Licence: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Cite as: di Mino, Tom. 2026. Linear A Lexicon. Plasma AI. https://linear-a.ai/. Data: kaphtor, commit 50525edd.