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, [email protected] 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
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