𒄠𒋛

Usually regarded as a loanword from some other non-Semitic or Afro-Asiatic language. Has been compared to Middle Egyptian pꜣ-ꜣb(w) (with the Egyptian definite article prefixed) from Proto-Afro-Asiatic *leb- (“elephant”). Blažek 1998 postulates Proto-Semitic *pirl-, with assimilation r-l → r-r or r-l → l-l, yielding Akkadian forms 𒁉𒊒𒌝 (pīru) and 𒉿𒄿𒇻 (pīlu).

Compare Aramaic ܦܝܠܐ‎ (pīlā), Old Armenian փիղ (pʿił), Persian پیل‎ (pīl), Sanskrit पीलु (pīlu) and Arabic فِيل‎ (fīl). From the same Afro-Asiatic root also possibly the first part of Ancient Greek ἐλ-έφας (el-éphas) (whence also English elephant) and Latin eb-ur (“ivory”).

IPA^(key): /piːru/

𒄠𒋛 (pīru)

[AM.SI]

1. elephant
   • c. 2nd millennium BCE, Proverbs, Collection 5, Segment A, Proverb 5.1:

     am-si /ni₂-te\-a-ni /maš₂\-[anše ^dšakkan₂-ka]

     niĝ₂ ĝe₂₆-gin₇-nam nu-ĝal₂ na-[ab-be₂-a]

     an-ti-ri₂-gu₇^mušen-e mu-/na\-[ni-ib-gi₄-gi₄]

     u₃ ĝe₂₆-e igi-te-en-ĝu₁₀-še₃

     za-a-gin₇-nam al-dim₂-me-en-/e-še\

     The elephant spoke to himself: "Among all the creatures of Šakkan, the one that can defecate like me has yet to be created!" The wren answered him: "But I, in my own small way, can defecate just as much as you!"

• Old Persian: pīruš "ivory"
• Elamite pi-ri-um-na "from ivory"
• → Middle Persian: pyl (pīl)
  • Persian: پیل‎ (pīl)
    • → Ottoman Turkish: پیل‎ (pil)
    • → Ossetian: пыл (pyl), пил (pil)
  • → Arabic: فِيل‎ (fīl)
    • → Azeri: fil
    • → Bashkir: фил (fil)
    • → Ottoman Turkish: فیل‎ (fil)
      • Turkish: fil
      • → Serbo-Croatian: fȉl / фи̏л
    • → Persian: فیل‎ (fīl)
      • → Urdu: فیل‎ (fīl)
    • → Spanish: alfil
    • → Old Norse: fíll
      • Faroese: fílur
      • Icelandic: fíll
  • → Georgian: სპილო (sṗilo), პილო (ṗilo)
  • → Old Armenian: փիղ (pʿił)
    • Armenian: փիղ (pʿił)

• Václav Blažek Two Greek words of a foreign origin : I. ἐλέφᾱς, II. φοῖνιξ, Sborník prací Filozofické fakulty brněnské univerzity. N, Řada klasická = Graeco-Latina Brunensia. 1998-1999, vol. 47-48, iss. N3-4