# \*ʕVbd- 'to serve, work; servant'

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

- Author's gloss: to serve, work; servant, slave; worship
- Record: https://github.com/plasma-ai/kaphtor/blob/50525edd50131a50e59ec82bf5132da0fa89efc9/wiki/semitic-roots/%CA%BF/2739_to_serve_work_servant.md

## In Linear A

- [A-PA₃-DI](<https://linear-a.ai/lexicon/A-PA~E2~82~83-DI/index.md>) (ʿAbdī): personal name, ʿAbdī 'my servant'; rival the head of an ʿAbdi-DN name

## 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.

## Reflexes: East Semitic

- Eblaitic: íb-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)

## Reflexes: Northwest Semitic

- Canaanite: EA ú-bu-dì, ú-bu-ud (CAD U/W 16); Amm. ʕbd; Edom ʕbd (DNWSI 816) (gloss withheld)
- Ugaritic: ʕbd (DULAT 136); /ʿabdu/ (UVST 158) (gloss withheld)
- Phoenician: ʿbd (Krahmalkov 351) (gloss withheld)
- Hebrew: ʕebed (HALOT 774); ʕābad (HALOT 773–774) (gloss withheld)
- Aramaic: ʿbd 'servant' [Anderson–Moser 2024 root ʿabd]
- Punic: ʿbd 'servant' [Anderson–Moser 2024 root ʿabd]
- Amorite: ʿabdum (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 Aramaic: ʾabd (T 235)
- Judaic Aramaic: ʿabad (T 235)
- Emar: a-bá-dì /ʿabādu/ (Pentiuc 2001, 21) (gloss withheld)
- Biblical Aramaic: ʕăbad (HALOT 773); *ʕăbēd (HALOT 774); *ʕăbīdā (HALOT BArm. s.v. עֲבִידָה) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Arabic

- Arabic: ʕabd- 'servant, slave' (BK 2, 150); ʿibādat 'religious service, worship, adoration, devotion' (Lane 1936)
- Pre-Islamic North Arabian: Safaitic ʿbd (Al-Jallad–Jaworska 50); Dadanitic ʿbd; Dumaitic ʿbd (Al-Jallad 2026, 12) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Epigraphic South Arabian

- Epigraphic South Arabian: Sab ʿbd (SD 11; Sabaweb lemma 1400); Qat. ʕbd (Ricks 1982 s.v. ʕbd) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Beyond Semitic

- Greek: Αβδαδουσαρος (OLA80 §32.5) (gloss withheld)

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Page: https://linear-a.ai/roots/2739/
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.