Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

1. I tend to think that if there is point of contact between the Indo-European and the Hebrew languages, then it is but at the level of the uni-consonantal root. Namely, if L is 'up, on' in Hebrew (as in אל EL, 'god', עול UL, 'young man', עול OL, 'yoke', and עלה ALEH, 'leaf'), then it is also 'up' in IE. 

2. I discount the possibility of a Hebrew root meaning revolve = re-volve.

3. As I see it the root GL consists of the combination G-L, where L is for ALAH עלה 'tall', and where G is a concise גאה GAAH. Thus, GAL is a mound, like תל TEL or חל XEL. 

4. AGOL עגול is circular only by inference. The עגל EGEL, 'calf', has nothing to do with 'circle' (some say he runs in circles around his mother), and I doubt that עגלה AGALAH, 'cart', has anything to do with גלגלים wheels, or with עגלים 'calfs' (some relate it to the Aramaic עגלא 'speed'), or even being of an elliptical shape. I also reject the notion that גיל GIYL, 'joy', is running in circles.

5. The acts GALAL, HALAL, XALAL, KALAL and QALAL, 

גלל הלל חלל כלל קלל

all mean 'include, pile-up'.

6. The late Hebrew (Aramaic) כרך KRAK, 'city, enclosure', is possibly but the Greek kirkos, influencing the thinking that KIRCUR is ,twist, swirl'. The "cognates" of KRKR are GRGR, HRHR, XRXR, KRKR, QRQR

גרגר הרהר חרחר כרכר קרקר

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jul 10, 2013, at 9:27 PM, Jonathan Mohler wrote:

Hi Isaac,

Isn't KARKAR just another circle word.

Isaac Mozeson says:

"CYCLE is from Greek kuklos (circle); the alleged Indo-European “root” is k(w)el (to revolve, move around, sojourn, dwell).

The guttural shift from גל   GL to KL mathches  what the AHD found to reconstruct their “root.”         גל GahL is a circular mound or wave – see GALE.  עגיל   GHaGeeYL is a ring or earring (Numbers 31:50).  עגל [A]GahL is to roll; עגל  [A]GoaL means round (I Kings 7:31).   עגול   GHeeGOOL is a circle (IKings7:23). The Indo-European “root” for CIRCLE, sker (to turn, bend), is related to the sound of   סחר   $aK[H]aR (to travel around), while the meanings of Indo-European k(w)el match the GR word    גור GooWR (dwell, sojourn - Genesis32:5).

Greek kirkos (a ring), Sanskrit cakram (circle), and Russian krug (circle) indicate that a double-guttural + liquid [K-K/G-L/R] is the more common axis to spin words of roundness on.

 Edenic offers: גלגל   GaLGahL (wheel), גלגל   GiLGaiL (to roll, revolve, wander),  K[H]ahG (to make a cycle: a cyclical holy day     – see HAGIOGRAPHA ),  חגור   K[H]ahGOAR (belt),  כרכור   KIRKOOR (circle: to whirl),   עגלה   GHaGaLaH (cart, wagon), עגלגלת   [A]GooLGeLeT (elliptic), and קערה     Q’GHahRaH (bowl). For the vowel-Ayin with Gimel – see EGG.

http://www.edenics.net/english-word-origins.aspx?word=CIRCLE

Jonathan Mohler

On Jul 9, 2013, at 10:50 PM, b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

I see no evidence that the act KARKAR is 'to whirl', but I know that some 

think so. Some 100 years ago when a Hebrew equivalent was sought for "dreidl", 

the great Hebrew poet X. N. Bialik suggested KIRKAR, but it failed to take hold, 

and what is used now is סביבון SBIYBON, from the act SABAB, 'go around', 

as the classical Hebrew nursery rhyme says