# \*wzʕ: 'overseer, officer, commander; to restrain, keep in order'

> Proto-Semitic *wzʕ, 'overseer, officer, commander; to restrain, keep in order': 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>) › [W](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/w/index.md>). Updated 2026-10-28.

## Root

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction | \*wzʕ |
| Meaning | 'overseer, officer, commander; to restrain, keep in order' |
| Basis | project |

## Reflexes

| Language | Form | Sources | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epigraphic South Arabian | Sab wzʿ (Biella 125) (SD 167) (Sabaweb lemma 2760); wzʿt (Sabaweb lemma 11357) | Biella 125; SD 167; Sabaweb lemma 2760; Sabaweb lemma 11357 | gloss withheld |
| Arabic | wazaʿa 'to restrain, repress'; wāziʿ, pl. wazaʿat 'one who keeps (others) back; chief, overseer; officer charged with order in the army or in a camp', al-wazaʿat 'the prince's bodyguard' (BK 2 1528–1529) | BK 2 1528–1529 |  |

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

## Notes

SD 167 glosses wzʿ with Arabic wāziʿ, and Biella 125 brackets the Arabic. Lane 2380 likens faraʿat 'the armed attendants, or guards, of the sovereign' to wāziʿ. Sab zʿ 'defense' (Biella 125), 'control' (SD 167) is also read tʿ (Sabaweb lemma 5497).

## Linked from

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

---

Page: https://linear-a.ai/wiki/semitic-roots/w/3726_overseer_officer_commander_to_restrain_keep_in_o/
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.