# \*ʕaṣab-: 'be difficult, hard, harsh, troublesome' 1, 'to bind, tighten; to bind up (a wound); to plait, shape' 2

> Proto-Semitic *ʕaṣab-, 'be difficult, hard, harsh, troublesome' 1, 'to bind, tighten; to bind up (a wound); to plait, shape' 2: reflexes in 9 language(s).

A page of the Linear A Lexicon's research wiki, in [Wiki](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/index.md>) › [Kaphtor Semitic Roots](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/index.md>) › [ʿ](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/ayin/index.md>). Updated 2026-11-04.

## Root

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction | \*ʕaṣab- |
| Meaning | 'be difficult, hard, harsh, troublesome' 1, 'to bind, tighten; to bind up (a wound); to plait, shape' 2 |
| Basis | project |

## Reflexes

| Language | Form | Sources | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geez | ʿaṣaba/ʿaṣba 1 (LGz. 74) | LGz. 74 | gloss withheld |
| Arabic | ʿaṣaba 'bind, tighten' 2 (Lane 2057) | Lane 2057 |  |
| Hebrew | ʿṣb 1 (Leslau CDG 74); ʿṣb pi. 2 (HALOT 864) | Leslau CDG 74; HALOT 864 | gloss withheld |
| Aramaic | ʿṣp 1; ʿṢB 2 (Aramaic Root Atlas; CAL s.v. ʿṣb#2) | Aramaic Root Atlas; CAL s.v. ʿṣb#2; Anderson–Moser 2024 root ʿṣb | gloss withheld |
| Judaic Aramaic | ʿuṣbā 1 (HALOT 865) | HALOT 865 | gloss withheld |
| Tigrinya | ʿaṣäbä 1 (LGz. 74) | LGz. 74 | gloss withheld |
| Amharic | aṭṭäbä 1 (LGz. 74) | LGz. 74 | gloss withheld |
| Syrian Aramaic | ʿṣab 'bind up, bandage; heal' 2 (Payne Smith 423) | Payne Smith 423 |  |
| Biblical Aramaic | ʿăṣīb 1 (HALOT BArm. s.v. עֲצִיב) | HALOT BArm. s.v. עֲצִיב | gloss withheld |

A form keeps its source's gloss only when the source is public domain or openly licensed.

## Notes

Distinct from 388 \*ʕaṣ̂b- 'sabre', which has \*ṣ̂ against \*ṣ.

## Linked from

- [ʿ](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/ayin/index.md>)

---

Page: https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/ayin/S127_be_difficult_hard_harsh_troublesome_1_to_bind_ti/
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 add28e94.