# \*pīl- ~ \*palpal-: 'a large hoofed animal; elephant (?)'

> Proto-Semitic *pīl- ~ *palpal-, 'a large hoofed animal; elephant (?)': reflexes in 7 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>) › [P](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/p/index.md>). Updated 2026-10-22.

## Root

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction | \*pīl- ~ \*palpal- |
| Meaning | 'a large hoofed animal; elephant (?)' |
| Basis | SED |
| SED | SEDonline semet 2653 |

## Reflexes

| Language | Form | Sources | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | fīl-, fem. fīl-at- 'elephant (in general, and male elephant)' \[BK 2 655\], \[Fr. III 386\], \[Lane 2474\], \[LA XI 534\]. | BK 2 655; Fr. III 386; Lane 2474; LA XI 534 |  |
| Akkadian | pīlu \[AHw. 867\] | AHw. 867 | gloss withheld |
| Mandaic Aramaic | pil(a) \[DM 371\]. | DM 371 | gloss withheld |
| Geez | falfal \[LGz. 159\]. | LGz. 159 | gloss withheld |
| Hebrew | pB. pīl 'elephant' \[Ja. 1163\]. | Ja. 1163 |  |
| Judaic Aramaic | pīl (pīlā) \[Ja. 1163\], \[Levy WT II 262\], \[Levy WTM III 36\], pyl \[DJPA 431a apud CAL\]. | Ja. 1163; Levy WT II 262; Levy WTM III 36; DJPA 431a; CAL | gloss withheld |
| Syrian Aramaic | pīlā, f. pīlǝtā 'elephant' \[Brock. 566\], \[PS 3102\]. | Brock. 566; PS 3102 |  |

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

## Linked from

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

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Page: https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/p/2396_a_large_hoofed_animal_elephant_q/
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.