# \*gīl-: 'generation, age-group; people'

> Proto-Semitic *gīl-, 'generation, age-group; people': reflexes in 2 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>) › [G](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/g/index.md>). Updated 2026-10-28.

## Root

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction | \*gīl- |
| Meaning | 'generation, age-group; people' |
| Basis | project |

## Reflexes

| Language | Form | Sources | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew | gîl (Da 1:10) (HALOT 190); pB. gîl, ben gîlô (Jastrow 238) | HALOT 190; Jastrow 238 | gloss withheld |
| Arabic | jīl 'a nation, people, race, tribe, or family of mankind'; 'a generation of men' (Lane 494) | Lane 494 |  |

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

## Notes

HALOT 190 sets the Hebrew with Middle Hebrew and Samaritan gîl, Arabic jīl 'generation' and Sabaic gyl, gwlm 'altogether', files it under gyl, and asks whether it is an Aramaic loan (Wagner 53). Jastrow 238 takes gîl 'circle of coevals' as biblical Hebrew, from gîl 'to form a circle'. Cf. 40 \*dawr- 'clan, generation'.

## Linked from

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

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Page: https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/g/3720_generation_age_group_people/
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.