Proto-Semitic root
*ʕVbd-
‘to serve, work; servant’
di Mino’s gloss: to serve, work; servant, slave; worship
Record 2739 ↗ · Basis: kaphtor
In Linear A1 entry
Notes
One of the most productive roots in Semitic personal names. The verb *ʕVbVd- ‘work’ may be a denominative. Akkadian wardu ‘slave, servant’ (CAD A/2 243) is another root.
Reflexes15 languages
East Semitic1
- Eblaiticíb-tum, ì-ba-tum /ʕebdum/ (VE 253a, 1428; Krebernik 1983, 12)Civil 2017, 104 reads them /ibṭu/ (= Sum. sag-kéš), cf. 3311 *ɣbṭ/ʿabd/: names ab-da₅, ib-du, ib-du-na (Sanmartín GlOS 1, 64)KA.ḪI = ù-ba/bù-da-tum/tù /ʿubādat, ʿubūdat/ (Sanmartín GlOS 1, 65)gloss withheld
Northwest Semitic11
- CanaaniteEA ú-bu-dì, ú-bu-ud (CAD U/W 16)Amm. ʕbdEdom ʕbd (DNWSI 816)gloss withheld
- Ugariticʕbd (DULAT 136)/ʿabdu/ (UVST 158)gloss withheld
- Phoenicianʿbd (Krahmalkov 351)gloss withheld
- Hebrewʕebed (HALOT 774)ʕābad (HALOT 773–774)gloss withheld
- Aramaicʿbd ‘servant’Anderson–Moser 2024 root ʿabd
- Punicʿbd ‘servant’Anderson–Moser 2024 root ʿabd
- Amoriteʿabdum (Gelb AS 21, 15)ʿabdu (Buck 2019, 324)ʿabd: ab-dV=, ab-tV=, ab-de₄(TE)-il (Ur III) (Sanmartín GlOS 1, 64)gloss withheld
- Mandaic Aramaicʾabd (T 235)
- Judaic Aramaicʿabad (T 235)
- Emara-bá-dì /ʿabādu/ (Pentiuc 2001, 21)gloss withheld
- Biblical Aramaicʕăbad (HALOT 773)*ʕăbēd (HALOT 774)*ʕăbīdā (HALOT BArm. s.v. עֲבִידָה)gloss withheld
Arabic2
- Arabicʕabd- ‘servant, slave’ (BK 2, 150)ʿibādat ‘religious service, worship, adoration, devotion’ (Lane 1936)
- Pre-Islamic North ArabianSafaitic ʿbd (Al-Jallad–Jaworska 50)Dadanitic ʿbdDumaitic ʿbd (Al-Jallad 2026, 12)gloss withheld
Epigraphic South Arabian1
- Epigraphic South ArabianSab ʿbd (SD 11; Sabaweb lemma 1400)Qat. ʕbd (Ricks 1982 s.v. ʕbd)gloss withheld
Beyond Semitic1
- GreekΑβδαδουσαρος (OLA80 §32.5)gloss withheld
† Gloss withheld: the cited dictionary’s licence is closed, so its form and page stand without its gloss.