Elementary Sumerian

Glossary
(after M. Civil 1967)

Daniel A Foxvog
Lecturer in Assyriology (retired)
University of California at Berkeley

Revised 2008

A glossary suitable for the first several

years of instruction, with emphasis on the
vocabulary of easy literary texts, early
royal inscriptions, and uncomplicated
economic and administrative documents.

kus

A.EDIN.L kusummu3

a, ` water, fluid; semen, seed; offspring, child; father;

watercourse (cf. e)

a-EN-da a-ru12-da

a Ah! (an interjection) (Attinger, Elments p. 414)

a-etubku6 "carp flood," early(?) flood (Civil, AuOr 15,

52)

a-a father

a-ga back, rear (of a building), hind quarters; after

a-a-ugu(4) father who has begotten, one's own true

father, progenitor

a-ga-am, a-ga-m (etc.) artificial pond or lake for

controlling flood waters (Civil, Farmer's Instructions p.
130f.)

a-ab-ba, a-aba (water of the) sea (cf. ab)

a-ab-ba igi-nim Upper Sea, the Mediterranean
a-ab-ba sig Lower Sea, the Persian Gulf

a-ga(-a)-gi4, (OS ga-gi4) later, (the one) after (Civil,

JNES 43, 286 n. 12; Selz, FAOS 15/1 No. 21 vii 1);
ga-gi4-a-b later, afterwards
a-g A.KA

a-ah (or ah) (Gudea) uh

a-ba(-a) who, whoever, whom, whose (interrogative
and relative)
a - bal to pour out water, libate, irrigate
a-bul5-la abul
a-da rivalry, contention, contest, fight (Civil, AuOr 5
(1987) 18 + n. 6)
a-da-ab (an OB hymn rubric, a hymn of praise
consisting minimally of sagida, saara and urubi
sections)

a-gr, a-gar agricultural tract, area of field parcels,

irrigation district
a-gar5, a-gr, a-br lead (the metal) (Reiter, AOAT
249, 119ff.)
a-gin7 how
a-gb-ba lustration water, holy water
ku

a--l leather sack

a - ar to flood with water; to soak, rinse

a-i6(-a) flood, flood wave

a-da-al, a-da-lam now; current, present

A.KA ugu, gu
a-da-man/mn contest between two parties, (verbal)
duel, disputation
a-da-man - a5/du11 to hold a contest; to dispute, debate
(Attinger, Elments 417-422)

A.KA-a - ar gu-a - ar
a-la(-la) ululation, expression of joy
a-la la-la

a - d to pour out water; to libate; to freshen (with

water); to flood, be flooded (Civil, Farmer's
Instructions p. 68f., 99)
a-du10 fresh water, sweet water
a - du11 to water, irrigate, flood (Attinger, Elments
477-484, reading e4 )
a--a sudden onrush of water, damburst, flood wave

a-l (a demon)
a-l-a roiled, disturbed, cloudy, muddy water
A.LUM udu-aslumx
a-ma-ru(-k), a-m/mar-ru10/uru5(-k) devastating
flood; the mythical Deluge (see mar-uru5)

a-ma-ru-kam It is urgent! Without fail! (lit. It is (like)

water of the tempest !)

a-(g), aa5(g)(GNA) field, parcel (for OS aa5 see

Civil, JCS 25, 171f.; Powell, JCS 25, 178-184)

a-mah high water, flood, inundation

a -ga u - du11 to inseminate, engender (later

elliptically just u - du11)

a-na(-m) what, whatever (interrogative and relative)

a-e-er a-nir
a-na-a(-m), a-na-(-m) why
A.TIR ea
a-na-gin7 how, why; thus, so
a - tu5, (OS) a - tu17(A.TU5) to bathe, wash
a-na libation; drinking water
a-tu5-a bath, bathing ritual
a-ne he, she, this one (OS for e-ne)
a-zu, a-su physician
a-nin pond, puddle, standing water
a-nir lament; grief (Emesal a-e-er)
d

a-nun-na(-k) (a grouping of high gods)

a-pa4 gutter, pipe; (as beer and water libation pipe, see
Civil, AuOr 5, 33)
a-ra-li (poetic term for the netherworld; the desert
between Bad-Tibira and Uruk where Dumuzi pastured
his flocks and was killed, see Jacobsen, JAOS 103,
194)
a-ra-zu, a-r-zu, r-zu prayer, supplication (for
writings see Bauer, AV Klein 24-25)

, ax(DA) arm, wing; branch; side (cf. da); (knife)

edge; strength, force; work-force; work-period
(measured in days); wage(s), hire, fee, payment,
expenditure; point in time; horns, antlers (for ax see
Attinger, ZA 87, 112)
- to command, give orders or instructions to
someone (-da-) regarding (-i-)
-- instruction, order; news (Attinger, ZA 87, 15)
-an handle(?) (Attinger, ZA 87, 115f.)
-an(-z-lum) date palm spadix; broom

a-r way, path, course; state, condition; multiplied by,

"times" (math.) ; a-r N-kam for the nth time

-an-kra, an-kra, en-kra (a divine or royal

weapon or staff) (Attinger, ZA 87, 182, reads ankra)

a - ri, a - ru to inseminate, engender, beget

a-ri-a, `-ri-a wasteland, desert (Civil, AuOr 5, 33)

- bad to open, spread the arms, wings

a - ru to dedicate, donate to a deity

-bad opened, outstretched arms, wings

a-ru-a temple donation, votive gift

- dah to help (PSD and ePSD now read tah)

a-ru12(EN)-da (Pre-Sarg. and Sarg.) copper

-dah help, aid; helper

a-sig, a-si(-ig)-ga, a-sa-ga clear, clean water (m

zaktu) (syllabic for sig5 and sa6(g), see Bauer, AfO
40/41, 95)

-dam settlement, habitation

a-sis salty, brackish water

-dra horns of wild goats, deer antlers (Steinkeller,

BSA 63 n. 24) (see dra)

- dar to seize illegally, confiscate

 - db to flap the wings; periphrastic: -db - a5

- tuku to have strength, power

- to rear, bring up, take care of

-tuku powerful, strong, able-bodied

-g-zi-ga early morning, dawn

-u4-te-na (at) twilight, (in the) evening (coolness)

-gb-bu left arm, side; to the left, on the left

-u4-zal-le daybreak, morning

-l mighty, powerful, strong (cf. -nun-l)

-zi-da right arm, side

- ar to apply force, overpower

-zi(g) high-handed action, violence

-i6-ba(-a) at midnight

-zi- by a violent act, by force

-ki-ti (a festival and the temple where it takes place)

a5(k), ak to do, perform, exercise, act (often as an

auxiliary verb); to make, construct; to make like, make
into. Certain contexts require rdg. aka or k. It can be
combined with a pronoun in forms such as h-na, -na,
see AV Wilcke 226. For rdg. a5 perhaps = a4 = the
aux. verb *za see Cavigneaux, ASJ 9, 49ff.; Urnamma
Hymn B 52 has an Ur III (?) var. a-a for OB AKAK. For a comprehensive treatment see Attinger, ZA
95, 46-64, 208-275; Powell, AV Diakonoff 314-319.

- k to tire (the arms) (Attinger, ZA 87, 112)

-k(-) adj. tired; n. tiredness; work, labor, toil; ppl.
-nu-k untiring
- l to tie the hands, fetter
ku

-l (a kind of drum)

ab hole, opening, window

-m(-k) arm of battle (describing a weapon, poetic)

ab, ab-ba, a-ab-ba, a-aba sea

-nun(-l) having great power, (most) powerful (cf.

-l)

ab-ba old man, elder, wise man; father

-nam-ur-sa heroic arm/strength/weapon (poetic)

-sg (a demon); (a source of sickness or death) (>
asakku)
(ku)

ab-ba-ab-ba grandfather
ab-ll window, opening, pigeon hole
ABx elder (in Sargonic texts, see PSD A/2 133a)

urudu

-si (leather) strap;

-si copper hinge (van de
Mieroop, Crafts 134; Civil, Iraq 23, 162)

b cow

-sg slingstone

b-za-za (an exotic animal: water buffalo(?), zebu(?))

- s(dr) to extend the arm(s), spread the wings; to

proceed, march on; to sail

abgal (apkal) (a cultic profession); (mythical) sage

-e now (anumma)
muen

-E

swan(?) (Landsberger, MSL 8/2 130)

-ita4(U.KID)(-a) paraphanelia, implements (Civil,

JAOS 88 (1968) 7)
-u-r limbs (lit. "arms, hands, and feet")

abrig(NUN.ME.DU) (a cultic profession) (abriqqu)

bsin, ab-sn furrow
abul(la), a-bul5-la city gate, main gate/entrance
abzu (mythological underground fresh water ocean,
home of the god Enki); (a water-basin shrine in many
Mesopotamian temples)

(gi)

ad beam, plank; raft (so PDS A/3 6, though Bauer,

AfO 40/41, 94 disagrees; see discussion of Attinger,
ZA 95, 260)

ga-kr/ - s to conquer, defeat (cf. ga - kr to

defeat) (Klein, AV Tadmor 310f.; Steinkeller, WZKM
77, 188f. + n. 17)

ad, ad-da father; forefather, great great-grandfather (so

PSD)

ga-s, aga-s constable, guard, bodyguard, soldier

agargara(NUN)(ku6) (a fish or fish spawn)

ad sound; voice, cry

ad - gi4 to advise, take counsel with (-da-), consult; to
discuss; to echo, respond

agrun(.NUN) (a sacred building or room); (an epithet

of the abzu) (Attinger, ZA 95, 268)
to measure out, mete out; to pay (esp. in grain)

ad-gi4(-gi4) advice, counsel; advisor, counselor

ad-KID reed craftsman, basket and mat weaver (The
reading ad-kub4 cannot be justified. Steinkeller, Sale
Documents 171, therefore suggests that only adgubx
(adKID) may be possible, based on Akk. atkuppu.)

- gi4 to kill (Jacobsen & Kramer, JNES 12, 185 n.

68)
aarin(AMA.dINANNA), ga-r(-n) mother
(creatress); (fertile) soil; mold, crucible

ad - a4 to sob, groan, wail

arig steward (PSD A/3 translates "housekeeper")

ad-a4 wailing, lamenting (nissatu); sound (of an

instrument or song)

ah, aah (in Gudea) uh

ak a5

ku

ad-tab reins

(gi)

d(GR-gun), ddu boxthorn; thorn (eddettu)

(some now read kig) (see Attinger, ZA 95, 263f. for
detailed discussion of readings)

ka(ID) fleece; tuft of wool

akan(UBUR) udder, teat, nipple
akkil cry, clamor; acclaim

ad4(ZA-ten) crippled, lame (kubbulu)

tg

adda/ad6(Lx) (also written L. or

ad8(Lx-eig) and adx(L.GAM)) (human)
corpse
dda/d(UDUx) (also written UDU.) (animal)
carcass
addir river-crossing, ford; toll, fare, rent, hire (RLA 8,
157 Miete) (cf. m-addir ferry boat)
gi

ddu(.GR) (reading uncertain, compare

gi

d)

ag a5
aga (a kind of crown, "tiara, diadem"); (an axe)
ga-gi4-a-b later, afterwards (see a-ga(-a)-gi4)

aktum(A.SU) (a garment)

gi

al mattock, hoe, "pickaxe"

al - a5 to hoe, work with the hoe

al - du11 to desire, want; to request, ask for, demand
(Attinger, Elments 429-438)
gi

al-ar (a musical instrument) PSD A/3 147

translates: (a lyre) (Attinger, ZA 95, 270)

gi

al-ar-sur/sur9-ra (a musical instrument,

drumstick?) (Attinger, ZA 95, 270)
al-la-nu-um oak; acorn
al-lubku6, al-lu5(b) (older rdg. al-lul) (crayfish or crab)

(d)

alad(LAMMAxBAD) male guardian angel, male

counterpart of dlamma

amar calf; young of other animals

d

amar-utu(-k) Marduk, patron-deity of Babylon

alal(IDxA), alalx(ABxA) conduit, pipe

ama sheepfold
alam, alan figure; statue. PSD A/3 170a calls alam
the preferred phonetic form. A reading ala based on
the important reference PEa 845 (Jx) a-la-, is
doubted by Krecher [privately circulated correction
sheet to his AV Matou II article] and by J. Bauer, Or
ns 43, 129. See also Yoshikawa, ASJ 12, 344-347.
alim bison (kusarikku)
alim-ma honored one (kabtu)
am wild bull

ambar marsh, swamp

an sky, heaven; the sky god An
an, an-na high, tall (cf. n and i6-/un-na)
an-bar, an, K.AN iron (Reiter, AOAT 249, 244ff.)
an-bar7 noon, noontime heat
an-dl shade, cover; protection

am-si elephant
ama mother

an-eden-na high plain, steppe

an- and still, even so

ama-a-tu ama-tu
ama-ab, ama-ad parents
ama(-ar) - gi4 to free, manumit
ama(-ar)-gi4 manumission, freedom
ama-r(-ra) wailing woman, female mourner
ama-rin(-na) elite troops

an-kra -an-kra
an-na (or AN.NA, perhaps to be read niggi or nagga)
tin; iron(?) (Reiter, AOAT 249, 259ff.)
an-pa heaven's top, zenith
an- heaven's middle, middle of the sky
an-r heavenly sphere, whole sky

AMA.GAN(.A) aganx

an-ta above, from above, down; in front; prefix

(grammatical term)

AMA.dINANNA aarin, amalu

an-ta-sur-ra (a Lagash geographical area); (obsidian?)

ama-tu(d), ama-a-tu house-born slave (cf. ama5)

an-ub-da-lmmu-ba the four world quarters

ama-ugu(4) mother who has born, one's own true

mother

an-r base of heaven, horizon

ama5, (ama) private quarters of women and young

children (Michalowski, Lamentation p. 76-78) (cf. m)
ama5-kalam-ma storehouse/dwelling-quarters of the
land (Michalowski, Lamentation p. 78)

an-usan, an--sa11-an evening

an-za-gr tower, (fortified) outpost
ane donkey; (equid in general)
ane-bar-l pack ass

amalu(AMA. INANNA) (personal) goddess

ANE.KUR.RA sisi

ane-knga (ANE.BARxAN) mule (offspring of a

donkey and an onager) (Heimpel, BSA 8, 89-91; RlA
Maultier)

ane-zi-qm equids kept at royal road stations (Ur III)

(Heimpel, RA 88, 5-31)

az bear

anzu(d)muen, nzu(d)muen (a mythological lion-headed

eagle, symbol of Ninirsu & Ninurta) (some read
an
anzumuen rather than danzumuen)

azlagx(L.TG), azlag3-6 fuller, washerman (also

conventionally read lag, etc.; see Yuhong, AV Klein
394f. for writings and etymology) (alku)

agab leatherworker
anan (a goddess figure personifying emmer wheat)
(see also dezinu)

gi

apin plow

apin-l tenancy, rent; tenant, lessee; cultivator

(Steinkeller, JESHO 24, 114 n. 5)

apkal abgal

ba to allot, distribute, assign, divide up, give a gift or

share; to reduce, diminish, deteriorate

ar-ga-nm (a resin)

ba allotment, share

r, ar, a-a-ar praise

baku6 snail(?)

r - a5/du11 to praise (Attinger, Elments 439f.)

ba-al to dig up/out, excavate, mine, quarry (her); to

unload (a boat)

r to mill, grind flour

na4

ba-al-gi(4), ba-al-gu7 (also with fish determinative)

turtle

arad, rad r

ba-an bn

arhu compassion, mercy; womb (rmu) (Civil, AV

Hallo 78 + n 21)

ba-an-du8(-du8), ba-an-du5 (reed, wood or copper

determinative) bucket, pail; sowing basket (cf. Civil,
Farmer's Instructions p. 74 + n. 26, contra PSD B
which considers the two variants to be two different
words.)

ra mill, millstone

gi

sal(A.TU.GAB.LI) Euphrates poplar(?) (arbatu)

asil(a)(EZENxLL), asil-l acclaim, paean, jubilation

a(a) v. and adj. (to be) one, alone, unique (cf. dili)
(Edzard, AV Klein 99f.)
, -, a curse
- a5/bal/du11 to swear at, insult, curse (Civil, JNES
43, 294; Attinger, Elments 445-450)
munus

-gr female goat (reading zh is obsolete;

Heimpel, BSA 7, 116ff. reads agar)
six (Edzard, AV Klein 102)
aa5 a-

ba-an-gi4 response, answer

ba-ba(-da/za) porridge
ba-da-ra dagger, a ceremonial kind of knife (Akk.
patru > Sum. ba-da-ra back-loaned > Akk. patarru)
(PSD B 18 "rod, prod" is not correct; see Civil,
Oriental Institute website corrections to PSD)
ba-ri/r-ga (a large measuring vessel = 60 sla in Ur
III)
d

ba- chief goddes of irsu, consort of Ninirsu (also

read dba-ba6)

ba-za cripple, dwarf

b(E) v. to halve; n. half

babbar, bar6-bar6 (PSD bbbar) v. and adj. (to be)
white, shining
bad(r) to open up, spread wide, be wide apart,
separate; to untie, unravel, reveal; to be distant, remote,
removed; to thresh (see recently Krecher, AV Kutscher
111-116)

bnda young one, child, infant; offspring, progeny;

attendant
gi

banur table; offering table, altar

bappir, bppir beer bread (a baked loaf of brewing

ingredients)
bar to (make) lie/be outside, go away, send out, set
aside, release, split open; to delimit, allot (fields)

bad, bad-r, bad-da open(ed), spread wide; remote

bd (city) wall, fortification

bar outside, exterior; outer appearance; body; back,

edge; fleece

bd(-da) high (cf. n)

bar alien, strange; cf. l-bar-ra foreigner, stranger

bd-si parapet

bar "liver" (as a seat of emotions), mood, spirits

bhar potter (Sallaberger Tpfer passim)

bar NOUN-ak-a or bar-PRONOUN-a because of,

instead of, with regard to, e.g. bar-bi-a because of this

bal to cross (over), pass by or through; to turn over,

around, aside, upside down, against; to change,
exchange; to pour out (liquid)

bar - a5 to examine, test, put to trial

bar-da, bar-d-a crosspiece, crossbar

bal-a-ri opposite side, shore

tg

bal-bal-e (an OB hymn type)

bar-dul5 (a common garment); (describing a goat or

a goat hide)

gi

bar-l unshorn, with unplucked fleece

bala (rotating) term of office or service, turn of duty;

reign; cf. bala-gub-ba term of duty

bar-l (a canal basin?)

bala spindle; rod, pin

bala(-) - a5 transport (for trade)

bar-rim4 arid, dry land

tg

bar-si sash, shawl

bala harp (some translate "lyre"); (a large drum?); (an

OB and later Emesal lamentation, part of the temple
liturgy)
bala-di harp player, lamentation singer
gi

ban gipan

bar-su(-ga), bar-s(-a) with plucked fleece, with

fleece removed
bar-s(d) (a rubric marking a sub-section of a tigi or
adab hymn of praise)
bar- out, away, toward the outside

bn, ba-an (later with wood determinative) (a

container and capacity measure = 6 sla in PreSargonic texts, 10 sla thereafter) (Steinkeller, Or 51,
359f.)
bnda, bn-da (or bndada) small(er), young(er),
minor, junior; short (time); impetuous, wild (note that
Borger, AbZ reads banda3 rather than Deimel's
banda1, a practice now gaining currency)

bar-(-) fog, mist, drizzle

bar-ta away, aside, outside
bar-ta - gub, bar- - gub to stand aside, keep away,
stay aloof

bar - tam to examine, choose, select (periphrastic:

bar-tam - ak)

bir4 to bake (bricks, pottery) (pronunciation is

uncertain)

bar-udu sheep's fleece

bir5(NAM)muen locust (Veldhuis, Education 224)

bar-s(urudu) (pointed) goading stick (Civil, Farmer's

Instructions p. 72)

bir6, bir7, bir to rip/break to pieces, shred, tear

biz, bi-iz to drip, drop

bar7(NE) to blaze, flame, burn

bra(g) (barag) dais, throne; sovereign, ruler, king;
(pack-)sack
bra-mah high dais

-bra (wr. -ib-ra-a, ba(r)-ra-a) to fly (loan from the

Akk. root pr)
bu(r), b(r), bur, br, bux(PAD) (variant bu-s,
Emesal z(r), z-z) to pull, rip, tear, pluck out,
uproot, extract, extirpate; to drain (water)

bra-si-ga socle
bu b
bra(g), ba-ra(-g), (pr) to spread out (upon), strew
bi-iz biz

bu-lu-h, bu-luh, bu-h, bu-bu-luh to quiver,

shudder, be frightened

b-za-za frog

bu-lu-h/buluh - si-il to belch, burp

bi7(d), bd n. excrement, dung; anus(?); v. to defecate

bu-ud-ba-ad - za to thud (an onomatopoetic

construction, see Civil, JCS 20, 117ff.; Black, AV
Wilcke 35ff.)

bibra(HL)muen (a bird); (a bird-shaped cup)

(Veldhuis, Education 224)
bl to heat, burn, scorch
bl-ga (fresh) fruit; (male) ancestor, cf. pa-bl-ga
bl-l pe-el-l
bl-l, bl-la hot
bl-l-b, bl-la-b heatedly, feverishly, ardently
biluda, bi-lu-da, p-lu5-da, be6-lu5-da rites, rituals,
customs, usages (< bltu, Steinkeller, JNES 46 (1987)
58. Cf. Steible, AOAT 253, 380f.)
bir (reduplicated: bir-bir-re, bi-ib-r(e), bi-bi-r(e)) to
scatter, disperse
br v. to shrivel, wrinkle; adj. flacid, shriveled
*br surx, rin (rdg. br is now obsolete; see
Steinkeller, WZKM 77, 192, JNES 46, 58f.; Selz,
UGASL 43 n. 178)

bu-s bu(r)
b, bu, p to flit, rush about
bugin, bunin (multiple spellings exist, middle/last
consonant may be //) bucket, trough
bul, bu5 to blow, blow up, fill with air
bulug chisel; needle, pin; seal-pin (Civil Oriental
Institute website corrections to PSD B); latch-pin(?);
border-marker(?); axis
bulug-KIN-gur4 (surgical) lancet
blu to grow up, rear children or young, make grow,
ripen; to be great, to elevate
blu, bul- foster-child
bunga(NITA(2).GA) child
bur (stone) bowl, vessel (Yuhong, AV Klein 391)
bur-gi4-a (a kind of offering)

bur-gul stonecutter, engraver

bur-sa (a servant); (a building used for storage of
offerings, see Heimpel, JCS 33, 106)

da-ga-an, da-ga-na, daggan(KI.GIGAL) bedroom

(Krecher, ASJ 9, 88 n. 39)

bur-u-ma old woman, matron, matriarch

da-gi4-a, dag-gi4-a district, ward, city quarter (bbtu);

cf. sar da-gi4-a neighbor (Steinkeller, Sales
Documents 242f.)

bur-zi (a kind of bowl)

da-ri, da-r lasting, eternal (cf. Akk. dr)

da-ri/r- forever

br (a kind of grass)

br to free, loosen, release; to reveal, explain, interpret

(dreams); to undo, nullify (curse, sin, anger); to spread
widely, spread out over, cover (cf. - br, ki-br,
m - br)

da - ri to lead at one's side (so Selz, ASJ 17, 251ff.,

who reads the verbal root as /dri/; cf. ma-da-ri-a)

br, bu, bu7 to glow, shine

dab5, dab, dab6/da5(b) to fasten onto (-a), hold onto,

detain; to seize, take (with -e/a); to be attached to,
employed at (-da) (often elliptical for u - dab5)

br-ra(-ah) (an architectural term)

dabin(Z.E) barley meal or flour

br-ra-b openly, publicly

dadag v. and adj. (to be) (cultically) pure, (legally)

exonerated

i7

buranun(-na) Euphrates

bru (br) (area measure = 18 iku = 1800 sar = ca.

63,510 sq. meters) (Yuhong, AV Klein 391)
bru(d) (br) n. hole, pit, depths; depth; v. to make a
hole, pierce, break into, burgle; to be deep, deepen; to
penetrate, understand

dag to move, run about, roam

dag-gi4-a da-gi4-a
daal v. & adj. (to be) wide, broad, vast, far-reaching,
widespread; n. breadth
daal-b broadly

buru4muen (a bird of prey or a vulture, OS); raven (Ur

III onward) (Veldhuis, Education 226-228)
buru5muen (bur5) (a small bird that lives in flocks,
possibly a sparrow); locust (OB and later) (Veldhuis,
Education 229-231)

daal - tag to spread wide

dah to add (to); to do, say, give in addition; to help
(ePSD now reads tah)
gi

muen

dal, dalx(HU) crosspiece, traverse beam (tallu)

partridge(?) (iur hurri)

buru5-habrud(-da)
(Veldhuis, Education 231-233)

dal to fly

buru14 harvest, crop; harvest time

dal, dal-a, dal-dal flying, in flight

dal-ba-an(-na) in between (area)

D
da, da(g) side; near (cf. Krecher, ASJ 9, 88 n. 39)

dalla - to be visible, apparent, manifest; (to shine

forth in radiance, be/make resplendent, i.e. near
synonym of pa - ?)

DA

dam spouse, wife, husband

dam-bn-da secondary or junior wife, concubine

10

dam-gr merchant (tamkru)

di-ku5 judge; judging (cf. ki di-ku5)

dam-ha-ra battle (< Akk. tamhru)

di4-di4(-l) little ones, youngsters, children

(reduplicated form of tur) W. Farber, Mesopotamian
Civilizations 2 (1989) 9 reads du13-du13-l.

dam-ha-ra - a5 to do battle with (-da-)

danna(KASKAL.GD), da-na double hour (a distance
measure, ca. 6.6 miles)

dib to pass, go, move (by, along, or beyond); to walk

(along), tread; to pass in review (at an inspection, see
Heimpel, BSA 8, 120)

dan6(UxTAG4) to clean, wash (Steinkeller, OrAnt 19,

83-84) (cf. gb-dan6 cleaner)

dida sweet-wort

darmuen francolin (ittid)

didli individual; individually, singly; several, various,

many; miscellaneous (Laga I) (< dili-dili)

dar to split
dar-ra split, fileted (fish)
dra, darah, dara4 Persian wild goat, bezoar
(Steinkeller, SEL 6, 3-7; BSA 8, 50; SEL 6, 3-7) (PSD
A/2 109 reads tarah, ePSD reads durah.)
dra-ma wild goat stag
d to pour
d-dal ashes
de5(g) na - de5(g)
de5(g) to pick up, gather up, collect; to remove, plunder
(Sallaberger, AV Klein 250) Many still read ri(g);
Selz, ASJ 17, 260 reads /dri/. See also Steinkeller,
JCS 35, 249f.

diir (conventionally dingir) god, goddess

dili one, single, individual, lone, unique (Edzard, AV
Klein 99)
dili-b, dili-bi- alone, by oneself
dli(m), dlim spoon; balance-pan (of a scale)
gi

dim post, mast

gi

dim-gal, gidimgul mooring-pole (tarkullu)

dm to fashion, form, create, build; to make like, make

into (-)
dm-ma judgment, discernment (< mu)
gi

dimgul gidim-gal

de5-de5-ga collected (dead animals or people)

(technical term in Girsu and Umma, Heimpel, BSA 8
138 n. 80; Sallaberger, AV Klein 250)

diri(g) to be more than (-a, see FAOS 5/2, 289),

greater than, exceed, surpass; to be excessive, extra,
surplus, additional; (also used as adj. and noun)

de6 tm

diri(g) to float, drift, glide; to sail (downstream)

di du and du11

diri-b, diri- overwhelmingly, even more

di(d) court case, lawsuit, claim; verdict, judgment

di one (the counting word?); a single, certain one

(Edzard, AV Klein 99f.)

di - dab5 to render a verdict

di - du11 to sue, go to court, trial (Attinger, Elments
459-464)
di - ku5(dr) to judge, render a verdict

du to come, go, move (about) Forms include: du

imperf. sg.; en perf. sg.; su8(b) imperf. pl.; (e)re7 (OS
erx(DU.DU)) perf. pl.; di present participle (Thomsen,
Sumerian Language p. 134f.; Sallaberger, AV Schretter
557ff.)

11

DU ku4(r)

du9-na-b, du9-n-e humbly (ari)

du-lum misery, suffering, hardship

du10(b), du10-ub knees, lap

d to build, make; to plant; to apply, affix, build onto;

to detain, hold back; to make fast; to drive in, insert .
Some now read dr (cf. r).

du10(b) - bad to stride, run

DU3 r

du10(b)-tuku having strong legs (for running)

d-a(-bi) all (of it/them)

du10(g) (dg) to be good, pleasing, enjoyable, sweet

(fig.)

du10(b) - gurum to lie down, rest (said of animals)

du5-mu dumu
du6 hill, mound, "tell" (often confused with habrud,
see Yuhong, AV Klein 374-381, who states that the
Auslaut is /l/; ePSD assumes a /d/) (tillu)
du6-k The Holy Hill (a primeval residence of the
great gods, cf. the Greek Mount Olympus)
du6-ul (or dul6ul) to gather (Civil, Farmer's Instructions
p. 92)
du6-r, du6-r (the name of the ziggurrat in Ur)
(Waetzoldt, AV Klein 334-338)
du7(dr) to be complete, perfect, unblemished (uklulu);
to be fitting, proper, suited for, becoming to (wasmu,
see Attinger, ZA 88, 182 n. 64 )
du7(dr?) to batter, gore, attack
du8 opening (pet) (Yuhong, AV Klein 378)
du8(h/r) to release, free, let fall away, hang down, fall
free; to wean; to redeem, ransom; open, untie, take off;
to bake; to caulk (the last two may be separate or
different verbs)
du8(b) to equip richly, adorn; to heap up, fill up
(possibly a variant of dub)
du8-du8-a richly laden, equipped
(na4)

du8-i-a topaz(?)

du9 to churn
du9(n), dun5, (sun5) to be humble; to be subordinate to,
under the authority of (cf. the OS adj. dun-a
subordinate to, in the charge of)

du10(g), du10-ga good, pleasant, fine, sweet

du10-du10-ga best, finest
du10-ge-e finely, sweetly (said of the voice)
du10-sa companion, comrade
du11(g) (dug4) to do, use (aux. verb); to act or serve as.
Forms include: du11 perf. sg.; e perf. pl. & imperf.; di
present participle & infinitive (later, rarely, finite
imperf.)
du11(g) to say, speak (elliptical for inim - du11)
du12 (short form of tuku, seen especially when
reduplicated)
du14 quarrel (with /d/ or /dr/ Auslaut, see Attinger,
Elments p. 466f. )
du14 - m to incite a quarrel
dub tablet, document
dub to heap up, pour in piles
dub-ba-an, gi-dub-ba-an(-na) reed fence-post, fence
of bundled reeds (Alster, Dumuzi's Dream p. 95-96)
dub-dab5 - za to thud, batter (an onomatopoetic
construction, see Civil, JCS 20, 117ff.; Black, AV
Wilcke 35ff.)
dub-l gatehouse, gateway(?); foundation platform,
terrace; canal locks(?)
dub-sa first (mahr)

12

dub-sar scribe

dun5 du9(n)

dub-en (treasure) chest (as part of temple

furnishings); foundation box

dungu(IM.DIRI) cloud

db to tremble, shake, quake; to flutter, flail, flap

(hands or wings)
dubsig(L) (or dupsik) work basket, corve basket
(often with a wood or reed determinative; previously
read dusu) (tupikku)
dug pot, jar, vessel
ku

dur cable, cord (Waetzoldt, BSA 6, 132); umbilicus;

bond, link
dur-an-ki(-k) Bond of Heaven and Earth (poetic term
for Enlil's temple complex in Nippur)
dr, dr-ru(n), durunx tu
dr base; bottom (the body part, cf. MSL 9, 65:92
Ugu-mu Susa); seat, residence (idu, aplu)

dg-gan bag (tukkannu)

gi

dr seat (of a chair); bottom board, wooden bottom

dugud v. & adj. (to be) heavy, huge, weighty,

important
duh, dudda(?) bran, chaff
dul, dl, dul5(TG) to cover; to envelop, wrap
dum-dam - za to complain (nazmu); to howl, roar,
cry out; to rejoice (Sjberg, AV Limet 126f.)

dr-bi-, dr-ra-ni- at the bottom or back, in last

place (physically or in a scale of values) (Civil, JNES
43, 285f.; AuOr 7, 147)
dr - ar to take a seat, settle, establish residence (for
reading cf. Shulgi F 24 dr-ra-ni b--ar)
gi

dr-ar ornate chair, throne (durgar(r))

dumu child, son, daughter; citizen (of a particular

city); (member of a class, group, craft) Emesal du5mu

dr, dur9, du24-r (or dur9r) donkey stallion

dumu-gi7(-ra) free or "conditionally free" person (cf.

ASJ 11, 217), freeborn citizen; noble, princely child;
aristocrat (Cooper, Curse of Agade p. 240)

urudu

dur10-al-lub (a war ax with curved handle or

semicircular blade) (Civil, Farmer's Instructions p. 149151)

dumu-KA (descendent or the like) (Sjberg, AV

Falkenstein 209-212)

urudu

dumu-munus daughter (some read dumu-m; reading

dumu-sal is obsolete) (logogram is an Akkadian
innovation, not attested before Ur III; see Steinkeller,
Or ns 51, 358)

urudu

dur10(EN) (an ax)

dur10-tab-ba double-ax (Civil, AuOr 5, 22f.)

duru5, dur5(-ru) wet, moist, damp; irrigated; fresh

im

durun-na, imtu-ru-na oven (Civil, JCS 25, 172-175)

gi

dusu(L) (read now dubsig)

dumu-nita(h) male child (see also

ibila(DUMU.NITA) (male) heir)
dun to dig

dun to weave

e Hey! (an interjection) (Attinger, Elments p. 178)

dun(-a) v. and adj. (to be) under the authority of,

subordinate to (see du9(n))

e du11

13

e, eg2, e4(A) (raised) irrigation ditch, embankment,

levee (iku) (conventionally read e, but see Civil,
Farmer's Instructions p. 109-113, 136 n. 2)

- jail (Civil, AV Hallo 75)

e-el-lu, e-li-lu, e-lil-la (a shout of joy, a work cry)

-gal palace

ku

E.B (read kuguru21/kuru14?) belt, girdle

ku

--dam -dam

-gar8 wall

E.B-r (siege-)shield (Attinger, ZA 88, 182 reads

egurxr = /egbur/? < Civil, AuOr 5, 22 n. 12)

-gi4-a (prospective) daughter-in-law, bride

e-ki-sur-ra boundary ditch

-itima dark room, cella (divine or royal inner

chamber, bedchamber)

e-ne (older a-ne) he, she

-kur (the temple of Enlil in Nippur)

e-ne - du11(g) to play, dance (Attinger, Elments 468474) (cf. emen)

-lunga(n) brewery (see LSUr 306; perhaps read bappir in certain contexts)

e-ne - s(-ud) to copulate (Attinger, Elments 474477)

-mar-URU5, mar-URU/ru10 quiver (Eichler, AV

Hallo 90-94; Civil, JCS 55, 52)

e-ne-/ -ne-

-me-e summer

e-pa5 (raised) irrigation ditch

-muhaldim cookhouse, kitchen

e-sr street

-n-gur11(GA)-ra treasury (but see disc. under ar for

rdg. -ga-ra)

ku

e-sr, (e)sir(LAK 173) sandals (see Civil, Or 56,

237, also Steinkeller, AfO 28, 140f. for the OS writing)

-ri-a a-ri-a

house, household, estate; temple (Read now ` or `,

pronounced [ah] or [hah]? Some Auslaut must be
posited to account for the common writing -a-ni
rather than -ni.)

-su-lum-ma rope-box

(read ` or ` as an older variant of a "water")

(d) to come, go forth; to withdraw, remove, bring out

-ba-an, -pa-na pair

e11(d) to go up, down; to bring down, raze

-babbar (the temple of of the sun-god Utu in Larsa

and Sippar)

bih(.MAH) heavy rope (ebhu)

-bappir (possibly -lunga in certain contexts)

brewery
-d-a built-up house lot, improved real estate

-utum(GI.NA.AB.TUM/DU7) storehouse (utummu)

(Pettinato AV Rmer 278f.)

eden (edin) plain, steppe, desert

eden-ll haunted steppe
eger (egir) back, rear (side); behind, after; inheritance

-dub-ba(-a) school; storehouse (in some contexts read

-kib-ba?)

eger-u4-da(-k) future days

-duru5 village, hamlet

gi(MUNUS+GI7), egi(GI7) (or gir, gir) princess,

mistress (Steinkeller, AV Klein 305-310)

14

gi-zi faithful princess (an OB cultic office, also gizi-an-na) (egitu) (Steinkeller, AV Klein 301ff. and
in Priests and Officials in the Ancient Near East
(Heidelberg, 1996) 122)

n - tar to ask, question, investigate; to take care of,

attend to, tend

ellag block, ball

engiz(EN.ME.GI), ngiz (OS) temple cook

eme tongue; language, speech; blade

engur depths (synonym of abzu.)

eme-gi7(r) (eme-gir15) native(?) speech (the main

dialect of Sumerian)

enkara, en/an-kar -an-kra

eme-sal fine speech (the women's dialect of Sumerian,

used in laments and temple liturgies and for direct
speech of goddesses)

engar plowman, farmer

enku(dr) fishery inspector

enkum temple treasurer, tax collector; (a mythical
servitor of Enki; the female equivalent is ninkum)

eme-sig base speech, slander, calumny

enmen, nmen thirst (ePSD reads now immen)

eme-sig - gu7 to slander, denounce

ensi(EN.ME.LI), nsi (OS) dream interpreter

me-da or emeda(UMxME.DA) nursemaid

(Steinkeller, Third-Millennium Texts 62; ASJ 88-90)

nsi(k) ruler, governor; farmer (iiakku) (Jacobsen,

AV Civil 113-121; Sjberg, AV Limet 125; Frayne,
RIM Early Periods 1, 15f.) (Emesal -mu-un-si)

me-ga wet nurse (Steinkeller, Third-Millennium

Texts 62; ASJ 88-90)
me, eme6 female donkey, donkey mare

r, r tear(s); lament, wail

r-du10-ga tears of joy

en lord; high priest, high priestess (Steinkeller, in

Priests and Officials in the Ancient Near East
(Heidelberg, 1996) 103ff.) Emesal -mu-un

r - du11 to perform a lament (Attinger, Elments 501507)

r - p(d) to produce tears, (begin to) cry

en-ki(g) god of water, wisdom and magic, patron of

the city Eridu

r - e8() () to cry, weep

en-ll the chief earthly god, city-god of Nippur

en-na until, as long as; up to, as far as (spatial)

en-na-me- how long?
en-nu-, en-nu-u5, en-NUN watch; watchman,
guard (cf. MSL XII 101:107, 116:14 contra Krecher,
AV Matou II 37)
en-nu(-) - a5 to guard, watch
en-te-en winter
n-du song (zamru) (J. G. Westenholz, AV Klein
348-350)

r-gig - e8-e8 (i-i) to weep bitter tears

r--hun- (a type of 1st person Emesal penitential
prayer)
r-m-ma (a short Emesal lament or penitential
hymn, later a part of the temple liturgy)
ere(NIN), eri mistress, lady
ere-diir the human consort of a god (= the female
en); the attendent or companion of a goddess
(dependent upon the date of the text) (The reading
nin-diir is conventional, but the dictionaries now read
ere-diir. See Flckiger-Hawker, Urnamma p. 171
and the exhaus-tive discussion by Steinkeller in Priests

15

and Officials in the Ancient Near East (Heidelberg,

1996) 120ff.)

.MAH bih
shrine, sanctuary

rim evil; enemy (some read ne-ru)

rim-du evildoer; inimical one

- (a regular offering held 2-4 times monthly at the

lunar phases) (eeu)

rim-l evil, hostile

ea(A.TIR) (a kind or quality of flour, sasq)

rim, rin, erim/n5 storehouse, treasury

emen(KI.E.NE.DI.dINANA) jump-rope (keppu)

gi

ekiri(U.ENxKR), -kri nose-rope, lead-rope (cf.

Veldhuis Education 175f.)

eren (gierin) cedar (tree, wood)

rin workers, work-gang; troop (Ur III and later; for

OS read surx) (Selz, UGASL 43 n. 178)

etubku6 (a kind of carp or barb)

gi

ezem, ezen, (eze?) festival

gi

rin i-rn
s-ad trap, snare

zinu (grain goddess, divine personification of emmer

wheat, grain) (also read danan)

gi

esi(g) ebony

na4

esi(g) diorite
G

esir, sir bitumen

ga milk; suckling (as attribute of animals)
sir-a-ba-al (a kind of bitumen)
sir--a refined(?) bitumen
sir-HD dry(?) bitumen (see HD)
e, e5 three (Edzard, AV Klein 100f.)
e-bar, -bar oracle, divine decision, revelation
e-bar - k to provoke an oracle, seek a divine
decision (paraphastic: e-bar-k - du11, see Attinger,
Elments 507f.)
e-da (a cultic vessel, variant of ita)
rope, measuring-line; a length measure = 10 nindan
= 20 gi = 120 k = ca. 59.4 meters
-dam, --dam inn, tavern; brothel(?)
-gna field surveyor's measuring-line
-gr assignment; song series, collection

ga-r(a), gra, ga'ara(LAK 490) cream; cheese made

without rennet (modern kik) (see Civil, Or 56 (1987)
234f.; Stol, BSA 7, 104ff. with proposed etymology of
E.R. Ellison: "milled (grated) cheese"; Teuber, BSA 8,
26ff. for origin of ga'ara sign)
ga-ba-ra, gb-ra (OS) herder, herding-boy
ga-ba-ra-hum rebellion (Michalowski, Lamentation p.
78)
ga-e8(KASKAL) or ga-ra traveling merchant,
import-export merchant; collector of tax or customs
dues (also wr. ge(KASKAL.GA) in OS) (Sjberg,
AV Limet 129)
ga-e8 a-ab-ba seafaring merchant
ga-e8 - bar ka-a - bar
ga-i-ti-ir-da buttermilk
ga-ki-si(-im)-ma clabber (cf. the yoghurt-like modern
Iraqi lebn)

16

ga-na Up! Come on! (interjection)

(gi)

ga-ranisi leek

gag (or kak) peg, nail, cone, plug (For description

of the inscribed pierced cones which recorded property
sales see Steinkeller, Sales Documents 238-241.)

gi

gakkul (brewing) vat

ga-a-an (Emesal for nin)

gal cup

ga6() in ga6(L)- (var. ga-an-, gan-) to

transport (Waetzoldt NABU 1992/16) Relation to l(la) is unclear; they can cooccur. Cf. the phonetic
spelling iti-ga6-ga6- for standard iti-gan-gan-,
Steinkeller, Sales Documents 225.

gal, gu-ul v. and adj. (to be) big, large, great; older,
elder, eldest

gb gb

gal-b greatly, well, to a great degree, generously, in a

grand manner

ga-rg comb

gb-, gan- (in frozen cohortative verbal forms used as

nouns such as gb-ra or ga-an-tu (Selz, RA 87
(1993) 29-45)

gal(-la) great, greater (see also gu-la); adv. well,

greatly

gal-le-e, gal-bi- (synonym of gal-b)

gab2-dan6(UxTAG4) cleaner (Steinkeller, OrAnt 19

(1980) 83f.)

gal-di (ppl. of gal - du11) greatly accomplished, preemi-nent (ra'bu, tizqru); cf. gal-gal-di boaster,
boasting(?) (mukabbiru) (Attinger, Elments 510ff.)

gb-gi(-in) guarantor

gal - zu to be very wise, all-knowing, able

gb-ra ga-ba-ra

gal4-la vulva

gaba breast, chest; front, edge, facing side; coast (of

the sea); frontier; surface

gal5-l (or galla) constable (Ur III) (cf. Civil "prosecutor," AV Hallo 74, rare after Ur III); a demonic bailiff
of the netherworld (post-Ur III)

gaba - l to be proud, plume oneself (cf. German

"sich brsten")

gal5-l-gal chief constable (Ur III)

gaba-gi4 counterpart, adversary

gala (cultic) hymn/lamentation singer, temple liturgist

gaba nu-ru-g unopposable, irresistable

GALAM sukud

gaba - ri to advance against

galam to rise in stages, steps

gaba-ri rival; equal, equivalent; copy, duplicate;

response, answer

galam(-ma) artfully wrought/fashioned, artful, clever,

skillful; stepped, storied (mountains)

gaba- - du to go before; to confront

galam-kad3/5 artfully wrought, well formed

gaba u - ar to hold back, detain; to resist, oppose

galla gal5-l

gaba-u-ar rival, opponent

gam gurum

gada linen garment, cloth

gm handle (of a knife), hilt

gan-tu resident, tenant (wabu)

17

gna field area, agricultural tract, (cultivated) ground

or land (Powell, JCS 25, 178-184)

gi-d-a reed fence (surrounding fields, Ur III)

GANA2 a-(g), iku, kr

gi (r-ra) - du11 to play the flute/oboe (of lamentation)

(Attinger, Elments 514-516)

ganam4 ewe (cf. u8)

gi-dub-ba (reed) stylus

ganzir(IGI.KUR.ZA) (netherworld entrance) (Katz,

AV Klein 191-193)

gi-dur umbilical cord

gr - dar to subdue, overcome

garadin (karadin) sheaf (kurullu) (MSL 14, 50; MSL
9, 117)
gra(KI.KAL.BAD) in ka-gra-a mouth/opening of
catastrophe (poetic) (p karam)
gaam expert, master craftsman, artisan, wise person;
master, mistress

gi-n-bar, NE.GI-bar (a kind of reed); cf. e-NE.GIbar (a kind of millet?) (read perhaps gi-li-bar)
gi-gd flute or double-oboe (like the Gk. aulos)
gi-gun4, gi-g-na cella, chapel (on top of the temple
tower or upper terrace), divine audience chamber and
living quarters (Waetzoldt, AV Klein 323-329)
gi-gur reed basket
gi-henbur(GAG), young reed

gaz to crush; to smite, slaughter, kill (Read na in

some meanings; see also gum.)
gi

gaz ( read gina at least for OS) mortar

gi-izi-l torch
gi-kaskal traveling basket

gazi cassia(?) (kas)

gi-kid gikid

ge(n) gi(n)

gi

gi-mu steering-oar, punting-pole(?) (Powell, BSA 6,

117f.)

gme (OS var. gan) (dependent) woman; female slave,

servant, worker (Gelb, AV Diakonoff 91-93)

gi-na gi(n)

gme-r-r female miller (some read gme-kkken)

GI.NA.AB.DU7/TUM -utum(x)

gpu, geba strength; fight, wrestling match

(Sallaberger, Der kultische Kalender I 178 n. 838)

gi-nindan gi-di-ninda, nindan

gi reed; measuring-reed, "rod" (a length measure = 6

k = ca. 2.5 meters) (Waetzoldt, BSA 6, 125-146)
gi(n), ge(n) to be firm, stable, secure, true; to make
firm, confirm, prove, verify, certify, guarantee; to
standardize (weights or measures)
gi(n), gi-na right, true, truthful; firm, secure; n. gi-na
regular dues (Sjberg, AV Limet 127)
gi-di(-da) reed flute (player); cf. l-gi-di-da flutist
gi-di-ninda(n) measuring-reed of one nindan length
(one gi is normally 1/2 nindan in length)

gi-rin (or gigirinx) flowered, blooming

gi-sal (reed fence or screen on the roof of a building)
gi-sun mature, old reed
gi-ukur-ra ukur
gi-zi reed shoots, fodder reed (Waetzoldt, BSA 6,
129f.)
gi4 to return; to remit; to send after, back, over; to send
as a messenger; to turn away, aside, back; to bar, close
up, lock away, withhold; to be sated; elliptical for inim

18

- gi4 to answer, respond (A rare /r/ Auslaut is seen in

Pohl, TMHnf 1 4:9.)

pronunciation /gi/, though /gin/ seems correct for OS;

see Krecher, ZA 63, 199.

gi4-me-a-a colleague

gir young cow, heifer

GI6 gg, i6

gir4 oven

gi7(r) (gir15), gi(r) (girx) native, local, indigenous,

domestic, domesticated (Steinkeller, AV Klein 305310; BSA 8, 64 n. 30) Steinkeller proposes an
underlying pronunciation [ngir] or [ngidr]. ePSD reads
ir15. Cf. ur-gi7(r) and eme-gi7(r).

gir4-bil oven-heater, stoker

gi16(l/b), gil/b, gilim/b to lie across, bar, block

gissu(n) (gizzu(n)) issu

gi16-sa adj. lasting, enduring, permanent; n. treasure

(ukuttu)

GIGAL-di lu-di

gi16-sa(-a/) - a5 to make (into a) lasting (thing)

gi16-gi16-sa jewels(?) (Ludingira 26)
gibil v. and adj. (to be) new, fresh

giri17-zal joy, delight; luxury

gi

gisal oar

gizzal - a5 to heed, pay attention to

gu flax; linen(?); thread, string; snare
gu-du buttocks

gd to be long, lengthen; to pull, draw, drag, tow (a

boat); to stretch, tighten (strings); to measure, survey;
to milk (for the first meaning compare s(d))

gu-la large; larger, greater (see Krecher, Or 47, 384

"gro gegenber einem anderen") (variant of gal-(l)a;
both ma-s-gal-gal and ma-s-gu-la occur in DP 51 i
1, iv 5)

gd(-da) long

gu-kilib gu-nin

gig wheat

gu-nin bale (Heimpel, CDLI: CDLN 2003:003

argues against conventional reading gu-kilib)

gig to be sore, painful, sick, weak; to be bad, evil,

bitter, hateful; to be interdicted, "taboo"
gig-b bitterly
gg(GI6), gi6(g) black ePSD reads giggi like babbar
when simplex, but gi6- gi6 when reduplicated. See
ku10 and cf. i6 night (Civil, EBLA 1975-1985, 155 n.
32.)
gi

gigir chariot, wagon

gil/b, gilim/b gi16(l/b)

gi

gilim entwined reed cords, cables (used as

construction material) (Waetzoldt, BSA 6, 132-134)
gn (gi4) shekel (a weight = 1/60 ma-na = 8 gr.); (an
axe? Cf. aga, tn/ag) Proto Ea 718 supports a

gu-ul (variant of both gal and gul)

gu-m cuneiform sign, script, wedge impression
gi

gu-za chair, throne

gi

gu-za-bra dais-seat, throne

g(n), g-un (or gnun) load, burden; tax, tribute;

talent (a weight = 60 ma-na = 28.8 kg.)
g neck, shoulders; edge, bank, shore (of a canal, river,
sea); totality; cf. g-g region (Pre-Sarg.)
g - a5 to submit
g-(a-)ab-ba seashore

19

g-an- grand total, all together

g - zi to busy, occupy oneself with

g - d to hate; to refuse or neglect

g voice, sound

g - to wear, be wrapped, enveloped, clothed, clad in

g - d to speak, say, address; to summon, designate,

call

tg

g- coat (nahlaptu) (also with wood or leather

determinatives, see Ferwada, Isin 19f.)
g-en(-na) throne room, audience hall (lit. "totality of
lords")
g-gal (k-l in Ur III) (chief) water regulator, canal
inspector (gugallu) (Steinkeller, Sales Documents 233)
g - ar to gather, assemble

g - du11 to make noise, give voice, cry out; to chant

(Attinger, Elments 526-536)
g - db to shout, cry, scream
g - to emit a cry, sound; to roar
g-nun - du11 to make a loud noise, to cry out loudly
g-nun-di (that which is) making a loud noise

g (ki-) - ar to lower the head, prostrate oneself,

submit
g i - ar/l to put a neckstock on, make wear a
yoke, subjugate
g - gid2 to spy
g - gur to gather together, assemble, pile up, stock up,
pack full
g-gur5(-ru(-u)) - a5/du11 to trim, strip, cut off
(Attinger, Elments 519-523)
g-ha back of the head, nape, mane (older reading
g-tar possibly correct in some contexts; cf. the
loanword kutallu)
g-ha - l to dress the hair
g - l to lean over; to hang the head, submit; cf. g ki - l to fall prostrate
g - l (with -da-), g-da - l to embrace
g - si to gather, assemble
g-si-a all, all together, assembled

g - ra(h) to roar, yell, cry out (as)

g - m to repeat, echo
gu4ku6 marsh-carp (arsuppu) (better etubku6?)
gu4(dr), gud(r) bull, ox; cattle
gu4-alim bison bull
gu4-i yoked ox, work-ox (OB and later: ox older than
3 years)
gu4-si-dili battering-ram (Sjberg, AV Klein 296)
gu7 (conventionally read k) to eat; to have the use of;
to consume (by some means)
gu4-ud to jump, dance
gub to stand, stand open, make stand, station; to erect,
plant; to serve, be on duty, assist; in phrases igi
PN+ak+a - gub, igi-PRO+a - gub to be at someone's
disposal, service. Plural forms: su8(g), u4(g)
(Thomsen, Sumerian Language p. 134)
gb(LI)-ba pure (ellu) (Yuhong, NABU 1990/3, 86);
cf. a-gb-ba lustration water, holy water

g - s to devote oneself to
g - ub to neglect

gb(-bu), gbu, gb, ga-ba left, left side (cf. -gbbu)

g-TAR g-ha

gud(r) gu4(dr)

20

gd nest

gur4 gur

gd - s to build a nest

gur4-gur4, gur8-gur8 amphora (for beer) (Steinkeller,

Third-Millennium Texts p. 53f.; Powell, RLA 7, 506f.;
Selz, FAOS 15/2, 405)

gudu4(g) (an ordinary kind of priest) (the older rdg.

gda is still seen) (pau)
na4

gug carnelian

gg sweet cake
gukkal fat-tailed sheep (< *kun-gal) (Steinkeller, BSA
8, 51)
gul, gu-ul to destroy
gul, gu-ul to add, augment, make great(er) (verbal byform of gal)
GUL.BU (a tree and its wood; some connect with Akk.
dulbu plane tree) (Powell, BSA 6, 112f.)
gum, kum (read nax/naa4 in some meanings) to
crush, pulverize, smash, beat to pieces (cf. gaz)
gn, gnu to be dappled, spotted, mottled,
(multi)colored, colorful, decorated with colorful
materials (cf. e-gu-nu) Sign is REC 34. See
Steinkeller, BSA 8, 68 n. 103 for the gn/dar vs. si4
sign contrast.)
gn, gn-na, gn-gn (multi)colored, dappled
variegated, speckled

gur5-ru(-u), gru, g-guru5 - du11 to strip away, cut

off (kasmu); to despoil; adj. gur5-a stripped away
(Attinger, Elments 519-525)
gur5-ru-u/gru - br to bear the fangs, gnash the
teeth
gur7, guru7 grain store, granary; grain-heap (as a
measure); heap, pile
urudu

gur10 sickle (cf. e - gur10 to harvest grain)

gurud(NUN-ten.KI) to throw
gurum (gr), gur to bend, bow down, crouch; to lay
low, kill (older reading gam)
gurm kur7
gurun fruit; fruitfulness, ripeness, lusciousness,
abundance
*gukin (obsolete rdg. of k-sig17)
guurx(GI.RAB.GAL) great clamp (for immobilizing
enemies/miscreants, poetic; see Civil, AV Hallo 43 and
cf. girab)

gur, gur4 to turn, go around; to return; to roll

gur gur4

gur "kor" (a capacity measure = 30 bn = 300 sil =

ca. 250 liters in Ur III and OB)

shed, barn, enclosure (or the like)

ar

gur-sa-l (a Lagash I capacity measure = 4 ul = 144

sil = ca. 121 liters)
gr gam
gr to bear, carry; to be clad with
gur4, kur4, gur to be thick, enlarged, swollen; to be
proud, (self-)important; to fatten (animals)
gur4(-ra) fat, fattened; proud

-dub-ba (a high-ranking official in civil and

temple administrations) (andabakku) (Sjberg, AV
Limet 133)
-e I (Krecher, AV Matou II 39 suggests reading
ex(G.E), likewise zex(ZA.E); alternatively perhaps
e26e) (Emesal m-e or me-e)
-la - dag/tag4 to stop, leave off work, cease; cf. -la
nu-dag-ge (that which) is unceasing, incessant

21

-ra ar

tu - ar to pay attention to, pay heed to, listen to

l to exist, be present; to cause to be, produce,

provide; to be in the care or possession of (-da-)

tu - gub to decide to do, plan

l - tag4 to open (often elliptically just l in

imperatives)
alga thought, mind, understanding; counsel

i6 night (see also gg and ku10)

i6-MA i6-sa9

anba market price, value

i6-pr, i6-par4, older iparx (KISAL) residence of

the high priest(ess) (Krebernik & Steinkeller, ZA 75,
46; Steinkeller, Priests and Officials (1996) 109f.)

anun, -nun storehouse, warehouse

i6-sa9(MA) midnight

ar to put, place, set, situate; to set up, establish; to put

down, restrain, oppress, stop; to set aside; to plate,
inlay. Imperf. form: -. Based on Proto-Ea, Civil
now distinguishes two roots, ar "put" and gar "pile
up(?)". The Ur III writings or glosses -ar or -ra
make the choice of the former explicit; the latter can be
seen in such phrases as n-ga-ra "property" or sa-nga-ra "capital," where ga is currently read gur11.

i6--na, i6-un-na midnight, night

gi

idri, idru scepter

in du
r to flash (cf. nim - r)

AR.DU nindan

r, ri knife, dagger

arza (divine) rite, ordinance (cf. biluda)

r(-tab) scorpion

en du

r-l butcher

(d) sixty (Steinkeller, ZA 69, 176-187; Edzard, AV

Klein 106) (cf. ugula-eta/-da)

r, ri (also r in Gudea) foot; path, way;

conveying/ routing official, "via" (in Ur III
administrative texts, cf. Steinkeller, JESHO 24, 117 n.
20; Owen, JNES 33, 174 ad 91:7)

-u seventy; six hundred (Edzard, AV Klein 106)

epa(I.UB) javelin (conventionally "throwstick") (reading uncertain, cf. giilar)
etin grape; wine(?) (Badler, BaM 27 (1996) 42
notes: appears on plant and fruit lists, not in contexts
that can definitely be translated as a grape liquid)
etin-bil-l vinegar (lit. spoiled wine, see pe-el-l)
etin-HD raisin (read probably -h)
etu(g)1-3 ear; intelligence, mind, understanding,
reason
tu(g) - a5 to listen to, pay attention to
tu-bad wide wisdom

r - dab5 to take the road, follow the path

r - du11 to use the foot (hapax in Gilgame and
Enkidu 165f.) (Attinger, Elments 537)
r - ar to step, tread upon; to prepare the way, make
possible
r - gub to step in/into, set foot on/in; to stand there
r-KIN - du11 ri-sag11 - du11
r-kr - dab5 to take a wrong path, an unfamiliar
path; to leave, abandon
r-lam (a small basket or container for fruits, eggs,
fish) (Landsberger, Date Palm 37; Attinger, AV
Schretter 70)

22

r-pad-r bone

i-k-na(-k) door-frame (gikanakku)

r-saga11(KIN) - du11 to trample under foot, crush

(reading secured by syllabic -sa-ga in Shulgi X 88; see
Attinger, Elments 538-540)

i - k to dam, block a watercourse

r-s-ga domestic servant, menial

i-k-ti handiwork; craftsman

ri - s to step on, tread on

i-n gin

ri - z-er to slip

i-nu11 inux(NU11), iinux

iskim sign, mark; signal (Ur III) (Civil, AuOr 8, 110

and AV W. Lambert 109)

na4

iskim-ti trust, trusted

i-k-da wier, dam

i-nu11-gal, na4nu11-gal alabaster (alternative rdgs.

include inux(NU11), iinux , iinuxgal) (see
Veldhuis, Education 20f. ; Marchesi, SEL 16, 10 + n.
29)

issu(n) (izzu(n)) shade, shadow; protection (reading

with // is not completely secure, see Krecher AV
Matou II 46f.)

i - ra to strike, hit, beat upon; to thresh

i tree; wood, timber, piece of wood, log; yoke (some

read e)

I.RU epa, giilar

i - bar ka-a - bar

i-br snare, trap
i - d to bring an offering (Sjberg, AV Limet 139)
i-gana, i-gan-na wooden pestle; (door) bolt, bar
i-gi canebrake, reed thicket
i-gi-na, i-gin7(-na) warp-beam of a loom; (a
writing for i-gana)
i-gi4-l antiphon(?) (an OB hymn rubric)

i-rn balance, scales (girinnu)

i-u manacles, handcuffs

GI.UB giilar
i - ub to cast lots
i-ub(-ba) lot; share
i - tag to sacrifice
i - tuku to listen to, hear; to heed, obey
i-r (read uurx?) roof beam

i-gd-da spear, lance (Rmer, AfO 40/41, 24-28)

i-zi(-da) (side) wall (Powell, BSA 6, 112, argues

against standard reading iz-zi, q.v.; perhaps two
different words?)

i-g neckstock

, i penis

i-g-di (or gig-di ?) lute(?); musical instrument in

general(?)

- d to "insert the penis," copulate, mate

i-h firmament, vault of heaven

i - hur to incise, draw, make a plan or drawing
i-hur drawing, plan; divine design

- du11 to "do the penis," copulate

ibun, ibunx(KI.KA) banquet, feast, party
igal (astral) station(?) (manzzu) (cf. Lugale I 24)

23

gi

iimmar ginimbar

HAR-gud mur-gu4

inux(NU11), iinux (or i-nu11) light (nru);

alabaster (Marchesi, SEL 16, 10)

gi

har-har (a stringed instrument)

HAR-ra ur5(-ra)

itlam, nitadam(MI2.US2.DAM) husband; spouse

(PSD reads munus-nita-dam; ePSD prefers itlam)
(ES: mu-ud-na)

har-ra-an road, highway (harrnu)

izzal attention

HAR-tud (OS) (a kind of domestic servant) (read

probably r-d; see also r)

izzal - a5 to pay attention to, attend, heed

harub(DAG+KISIM5xU2.GIR2) carob

uru young man, man; adult male worker, laborer

ha(-a) (OS ha-a4) broken, crippled (limb)

ha4, h thigh

gi

hahur apple (tree, wood, fruit) (Steinkeller, ThirdMillennium Texts p. 57)

ha-la share, portion (see hal)

ha-lam to be lost, forgotten; to destroy, annihilate
(Emesal gel-le-)
ha(z), ha-za, ha-ha(-za) to hold fast to, retain; to
grasp, understand
gi

ha-lu-b oak(?) (cf. PSD B 88)

h-m, h-a Let it be (so)! (interjection, verbal form,

and substantive; cf. h-m - du11 to accede to,
approve)
h-du7 distinguished (in appearance), ornament
HE2-du7 (read perhaps gan-du7) architrave
h-l abundance, prosperity

ha-luh hu-luh
h-nun, hi-nun abundant, luxuriant; abundance

gi

ha-u-r (a type of cypress)

hi to mix

ha-za-nm mayor
urudu

ha-zi(-in) axe

habrud(a) (wr. LAGARxU, DU6xU, KIxU) hole,

burrow (hurru) (Yuhong, AV Klein 374-384) .
hd (cultically) pure (Foxvog, JCS 46, 12-14)

hi-li (female) sexual charm, allure, appeal; ripeness,

physical prime; luxuriance; wig
gi

HU (a container) (Bauer, AV Klein 27)

hu-luh. huluh, ha-luh to tremble, be afraid; to be

fearsome; to scare, frighten (Sjberg, AV Klein 300 +
n. 14)

HD dry, dried (reading probably h) (see Foxvog,

JCS 46, 13 n. 7)

HU-ri(2)-in u11-ri-in

hal, ha(l), hal-ha, ha-la to divide, apportion, allot

hu-ru(-um) dolt, bungler, idiot, inferior

hal-hal fast-flowing

hb, hub to heap up; to smite, destroy (in this meaning

better reading is tu11, tu10)

har, har-har ring, bracelet; coil, spiral

hb - sar to run

24

hu (still regularly written hun) to hire; to install in

office; to be calm, soothed, quieted; to be welldisposed toward
hul to ruin, damage, destroy

i-li-nu-u (a plant)

i-lu cry; wail, lament; song

i-lu - du11 to perform, intone an i-lu (cf. ul-di lament
singer) (Attinger, Elments 555-563)

hul(-a) evil, bad; adv. evilly

i-lu-lam-ma (herder's) work-song
hul-b, hul-bi- evilly, miserably
i-lu--ga heart-felt song
hul-l evil, evildoer
i-ne-e -ne-
hul - gig to hate, dislike
gi

hul-gig hatred, hostility

i/-ri9-na root

hul - ti to dwell in wretchedness; to be spoiled

i-si-i laughter, delight; derisive laughter, derision;

wailing, grief (J.G. Westenholz, AV Klein 361)

HLmuen bibramuen

i-si-i - ar to afflict with grief, deride(?)

hl to rejoice, delight in, be happy

hl(-la) happy, joyous; joy

i-si-i - l to be full of laughter, delight; to suffer

derision; to be be afflicted with worries (Krecher,
Sumerische Kultlyrik 89ff.)

hl-bi-, hl-la-b, hl-la-e happily, joyfully

i-ti iti6

hun hu

i-dutu cry or appeal for justice (Steiner, AOAT 253,

407-410)

hur to scratch; to incise, draw

hur, hur-ru-um hole

i-zi (flood-)wave, swells (Heimpel, RlA 9, 153f.;

Alster, AV Klein 6)

HUR r, har, kikken, mur, ur5

i-zi, iz-zi wall; fence (cf. i-zi)

hur-sa highlands, foothills, mountains, mountain

range

, a oil; fat, tallow; butter

hur-sa-galam-ma stepped, storied mountain (the

ziggurrat in Ur or Nippur) (Waetzoldt, AV Klein 331332)

-b-a butterfat
-b-za financial loss
-du10(-ga) fine, sweet-smelling oil

hu fierce, furious, terrifying, terrible; fiery, red-yellow

-gi4-in-zu, igi-zu as if, as though (but cf. Alster ASJ 9,
34)
I

-i vegetable oil; sesame oil

i, i-i (by-form of ) to sprout, come forth; to praise

-hi-nun-na precious oil

i-b, -b smoke (qutru)

-ir-a perfumed, scented oil

25

-li fine(st) oil

-ne-/e, i-ne-, ne- (ne-), e-ne- now, finally
(Sjberg, JCS 25, 131)
-nun(-na) (clarified) butter, ghee (Stol, BSA 7, 101103)
(l)

-r-r perfumer, ointment mixer (muraqq)

igi-a - sa6 to be favored, pleasing in the eyes of

someone.
igi - bar to look at, gaze at, regard (Krecher, AV
Kutscher 108-111)
igi(-) - du to go at the fore, precede
igi-du harbinger, vanguard, one who goes at the fore
(cf. palil)

-h pork-fat, lard
igi - du8 to see, look at; to experience
-im aromatic oil, perfumed oil
-ub

gi

-ub

igi-sir (a kind of bitumen, perhaps "surface crude

bitumen") (pan itt) (Civil, NABU 1989/62)

-ti iti6

igi - l to see, look upon, look into; to comprehend

-udu sheep-fat, tallow

igi-l outlook, view; comprehension, intelligence,

wisdom; wise person

i7(d) (d) river, canal, channel

i7-ki-sur-ra(-k) boundary canal
i7-l-ru-g ordeal-river (often divinized)
a, five (Edzard, AV Klein 101)
b waist, hips, loins

igi - ar to regard, gaze at; to confront, face

IGI.GAR kur7
igi - gid2 to look angrily at (nekelm)
igi - l to raise the eyes toward, look towards, regard

b anger, rage, fury

igi - kr to inspect, examine (Steinkeller, ASJ 4 (1982)

149-151)

b-l belt

igi - lib/lib4(IGI) to be sleepless

-b/ib-ra-a -bra
ibila, i-b-la heir
i7

idigna the Tigris

idim spring, underground waters

idim fierce, wild

igi-niin-na-ka in the twinkle of an eye

igi-nim upper (land); above
igi-nu-du8 (in Pre-Sarg. Lagash, a class of menial
workers who could be bought and sold)
igi-NUM-l (a fraction, e.g. igi-3-l one-third)
igi - ri to set eyes upon, gaze at

gi

ig door

igi eye; sight, vision, view; face, countenance; front

igi-a - gub gub

igi - sa5/z(ID) to examine, check; to select

(nasqu, bru) (Proto Ea 557)
igi - s(g) to look at, inspect

26

igi- before, in(to) the presence of; often in the

phrases igi PN-ak- or igi-PRO-
igi-te-en meshes of a net
igi-tur - gd to sneer at, distain
igi-zu i-gi4-in-zu

IM.MImuen nzumuen
im-mir/mer (or better tum9-mir) north wind
im-ri-a, im-ru-a clan, family, kin (Selz, AV Schretter
584, suggests reading n-ri/ru-a)
im-u(-k) "hand-tablet" (a type of tablet or writing
exercise, a paragraph or extract?) (Civil, AV Birot 75)

iku (an area measure = 1/18 br = 100 sar = ca. 3,528

sq. meters)

im-u-rin(-na) oven; brazier(?)

l to lift, raise, bear, carry; to bear (fig.), endure

im-tuku4 buffeting wind

L(-) ga6()

im-u18-lu, im-ul south wind

gi

m strange, alien, other

ldu(m) clan

imaa1-3 ZZ.AN

gi

ilar(UB), illar, illuru throw-stick, spear, or javelin

(?) (see Rmer, AfO 40/41, 32-38) (cf. giepa)

imin seven; "many, all" (poetic) (Edzard, AV Klein

102f., now reads umin)

ldag, ildag4 poplar(?) (ildakku, adaru)

in straw, chaff (cf. in-nu)

ilimmu nine (Edzard, AV Klein 103)

in insult, taunt, invective (pitu)

im clay, earth; tablet

in - a5 to insult, abuse

im wind (can also be read tum9, tumu, tu15(m))

in-d(TI), in-di road, course, way

im rain (probably to be read eg7)

in-dub(-ba), im-dub (heap of earth serving as a

boundary marker) (substantivized verbal form)

ldag poplar

im(-ma) previous year (in OS; later writing is mu-imma, cf. addagda)

in - dub to define a district (probably a back-formation

from in-dub)

IM.A rainstorm(?) (see Flckiger-Hawker, Urnamma

p. 222)

in(-) - db to hurl (as) an insult, insult

im-babbar gypsum

in-nin(9) lady, mistress

im-d-a, im-du8-a mud-brick wall (pitiqtu) (cf.

Sallaberger, Tpfer p. 12)

in-nu straw (cf. in)

in-nu-ha (a kind of barley)

im-du8 dew
d

IM.DUGUDmuen anzumuen

inanna(-k) goddess of passion, love and war, citygoddess of Uruk (reading dinana has become common,
but Attinger, NABU 2007/37 favors the traditional
reading with double /n/ )

im-gd-da long tablet, one-column tablet

inim (or enim) word; matter, affair

IM.DUGUD muru9

27

inim - bal to exchange words, converse, have a

dialogue; to interpret

gi

simu, simu sprout, shoot

ii(I) mountain, mountainous country

inim - du11 to say, speak, tell (Attinger, Elments 490501) Old syntax: to do words about (-a) something.
The verb also commonly occurs elliptically as du11
while retaining the older dimensional marking in the
verbal chain.
inim-l-la legal claim (OB)
inim - ar to put a matter (to someone, for judgment),
raise a legal claim, sue, litigate
inim-ar legal claim, complaint; oracular utterance (in
this meaning perhaps read i5-ar > Akk. egirr)
inim - gi(n) to confirm, make firm, guarantee
inim - gi4 to answer, repond; to revoke
inim-inim-ma incantation; counsel(?) (cf. Cooper ad
Curse of Agade 30 & 70)
inim - kr to (try to) alter the words; to vindicate, go
back to court concerning
inim-ma - s(g) to inspire, encourage(?); to put into
words or concepts, plan out ( Jacobsen, JCS 41, 85 n.
26); to imagine (Civil, AV Birot 75)

iib incantation priest (< Akk. ipu)

d

ikur god of rain, patron of Karkara

iti6(UD.dNANNA), -ti, i-ti moonlight

itima(-k), itim-ma (or itimama) dark chamber,
bedchamber, cella
itu(d) month; itu-da monthly
iz-zi i-zi
izi fire
izi - bar7 to blaze
izi-bar7-bar7-ra blazing fire
izi-ar torch
izi - l to light a fire; to refine, purify with fire (?)
(Bauer, AfO 40/41, 95) (cf. gi-izi-l torch)
izi - m to light a fire

ir smell, scent, fragrance

izi - ri to set fire to

ir - si-im to smell, sniff

izi - s(g) to set fire to

r r

izi - te(n) to extinguish a fire

r, ir11, arad, rad male slave, servant. (a) Pre-Sarg.

r/r(NTA) or ir11(NTAxKUR) and r-d. (b) Sarg.
r-d abandoned in favor of arad(NTA) or
rad(NTAxKUR). (c) Sarg. and Ur III arad/rad and
r/ir11 are all possible. See Gelb, AV Diakonoff 82ff.
(ardu)

ir7(KASKAL)muen urnu-dove (Sollberger, AfO

40/41 52f., Ur III Drehem); compare ir7-samuen wild
pidgeon(?) (PSD A/2 195a)

ka-al(-ak) excavation, brickmaking pit (> kalakku)

(Heimpel, JNES 46, 208)

iri(URU) uru
irigal (or urugal) netherworld; grave (poetic)

ka(k), ka(g) mouth; opening; origin, beginning,

inception (see Attinger, ZA 95, 47f. for k/g refs.)

ka-a(-bar) (divine) decision

ka-a(-bar) - bar, ga-e8 - bar, gi - bar to decide,
render a (divine) verdict

28

ka - ba to open the mouth; to talk, speak (cf. Krecher,

AV Kutscher II 117f.)

KAL , sig15, sun7

kal to be precious, dear, valuable

ka - du8 to open wide the mouth, roar

kal(-la) precious; kal-kal(-la) very precious
ka-guru7(-k) granary superintendant, head grain stores
keeper (Steinkeller, Sale Documents 199f.)

kala(g) (kalag), kal-la(-g) to be strong, mighty; to

strengthen, mend

ka-gra-a catastrophe, annihilation (p karam)

KA - k to put together, collect, muster, organize,
form

kal-ga (or kalag-ga) strong, mighty; hard (/kalag+a/

> /kalga/ like /uzud+a/ > /uzda/)

KA-keda contingent, group, collection

kalam country, nation (normally referring to Sumer,

see Jacobsen, AfO 26, 9)

ka-m opening, beginning of battle

kankal(KI.KAL) bare, fallow ground

ka - si-il to graze

kar quay, wharf; market

ka-tab lid, cover

kar to flee, escape; to take away, remove, strip off; to

steal

KA-tar - si-il to extol, sing the praises of, proclaim the

glory of (for the meaning of the verb compare perhaps
ka-ta-ar-zu he-si-li-im CT 44, 14:33')
ka-t unity; unified, of one mind
ka-t-a - s(g) to unify
ka-t-a s-ga unanimous, harmonious
k(n) gate (read perhaps kan/kan4; see Attinger ZA
88, 182) (cf. i-k-na)
K.GAL abul
ka5-a (some now read ka5a) fox
kb - du11 to measure ( with a container); to verify,
test, check (Attinger, Elments 572-576; Civil,
Farmer's Instructions p. 153-163; cf. latku)
kb-du11-ga (a kind of jar) (Civil, Farmer's
Instructions p. 160-162); "geeichtes Gef"
(Sallaberger, Tpfer p. 102)
kadra(N..A), kdra(N.) present (to a
superior), offering (cf. Attinger, ZA 87, 115, reading
kdraa)
kak gag

kar-KID, (OS kar-kid3) conventionally "prostitute,"

but now understood as a class of women not living
under male authority, an independent woman (harimtu)
(Assante, UF 30, 5-97; cf. Glassner, RAI 47, 151ff.)
kr to be bright, shining; to light up, flare up; to
provoke, incite (cf. nu-kr-kr-d without
provocation) Wr. GANA2 (non-ten) in OS.
karadin garadin
kaskal road, highway; caravan, expedition
KASKALmuen ir7muen
ka, kas beer
ka-d-a feast, banquet
ka4/kas4 - du11 to run; to hasten (Attinger, Elments
578-586)
k(d/r) to be bound, tied, joined; to be locked, closed,
blocked, stopped, sealed. The root has a /d/ or /r/
Auslaut, and the full finite root may be keedr; cf.
OBGT 12, 5: sa k--ra-ab = kiar and see
Steinkeller, JNES 46, 57. The past participle is written
k-da (kedada) or keda(K). Cf.
gi
kirid(KEDA)

29

ki place; ground, earth; (a term for the netherworld);

place where (as relative pronoun); used before a GN to
designate a state, e.g. ki Lagaki "the state of Laga";
used to express spatial ideas with PN's or pronouns,
e.g. ki PN-ak- "to PN's location > to PN," ki-bi-ta
"from there," ki-ba "here"
KI.A ki-duru5, pe10
ki-a-na place of (funerary) libations
ki(g) - to love
ki-ba - ar to replace, substitute, exchange
ki-bala, ki-bal-a rebellious, rebel land
ki-b - gi4, ki-bi- - gi4 to return to its original state,
restore

ki - hur to scratch, paw at the ground

ki-in-dar crevice (nigiu)
KI.KAL kankal
ki-l weight
ki-lul-la treacherous, dangerous place
ki-mah grave, cemetery
ki-n sleeping quarters, resting place, camp; bed
ki-s platform (so Suter, ZA 87, 6 in a discussion of s
"square" in Gudea. She finds no direct lexical proof for
conventional translation "supporting wall.") (kis)
ki-sa6-ga happy place; happiness

ki-bl-l hot, scorched place; ki-bl-bl-l hottest place

ki-s-ga funeral offerings, rites

ki-br solution (to a riddle)

ki-si-ga quiet, silent place

ki - dar to break through the ground, emerge from the

earth (cf. ki-in-dar crevice)

ki-sikil pure place; young woman, maiden

ki-DR ki-tu

ki - su-ub to kiss the ground, make obeisance

(periphrastic: ki-su-ub - a5)

ki-duru5 wet place (in a field) (Civil, Farmer's

Instructions p. 69)

ki-su7(r), ki-sura12 threshing-floor (Civil, Farmer's

Instructions p. 94)

ki-e-ne-di, ki-a-ne-di game, play, dance

KI.E.NE.DI.dINANNA emen
ki-en-gi(r), ki-in-gi(r) Sumer (Steinkeller, AV Klein
308-309, analyzes as ki-engi(r) with pronunciation [kin
gir] (cf. gi7(r))
ki-en-gi ki-uri Sumer and Akkad
ki-gal the netherworld; (a term for foundation)

ki-sur-ra boundary, border, place of demarcation;

demarcated area, territory
ki-r(-ra) horizon; everywhere
ki-e-er - tuku to know moderation, have a limit or
barrier; to be off-limits (Civil, RAI 41 = BBVO 18,
260)
ki- finale, coda, end (of a song)

ki-gub(-ba) station, position, standing; constellation

ki - tag to lay, put, leave on the ground; to plant; to

found (cf. tag4)

ki - ar to (firmly) found (buildings), to settle (people)

ki - tm to bury

ki-ar grounds, settled place

ki-tm grave

ki-hul funeral (rites)

ki - tu to establish, take up residence

30

ki-tu seat, residence, dwelling place, habitation

k-nim (cultic) morning meal, service

ki-u4-ba formerly, once when, "once upon a time"

k-sig (cultic) afternoon meal, service

KI.UD kislah

kikkin(HAR), kkkin(HAR.HAR) millstone, grinding

slab Cf. gme-kikkin grinder, miller (some read knkn or kinkinx, others read r-r (OB); vars. kikken,
na4
kikkin-na (see Civil, AuOr Suppl. 22, p. 131f.)

ki-ul primeval place

ki-ulutin (a mythical place of original creation)
ki-r terrace (in a temple complex, especially that of
Nippur - a site of divine assemblies)
(ki)

ki-uri

the state Akkad

ki(-a/e) - s to (make) lie on the ground, touch, press

the ground; to found, ground, make fast
ki-s-sa firmly grounded, founded
ki - za to prostrate oneself, make obeisance
ki-za obeisance, homage
ki-za - tm to refuse obeisance
KIB (dedicatory) clay nail

klib(-ba) all; klib-ba-bi every one of them, all of

them
kin k
kin-gal leader, expert; dining hall
kinda, kindagal, (knda in OS) barber; slave marker
(gallbu)
kr kd
kri, kir4 nose, muzzle
kri-dab5/dab groom
kri u - l to show reverence, make the gesture of
reverence (the hand held up to the nose), make
obeisance; periphrastic: kri-u-l - a5

gi

kid reed mat

kd, kr to pinch off, cut off

kd-kd-da ritual
k (kin) to seek, search out
k (kin) work, job; duties (Civil, AV Hallo 76) (k is
now the preferred writing, but the word is still seen
written with a final /n/ like hun)
k - a5 to perform work, labor
k - du11 to perform work, labor
k- skilled
k - gi4 to send a message
(l)

k-gi4-a messenger, envoy; omen, as in Ur III sila4

k-gi4-a omen-lamb (Heimpel, BSA 7, 132f.)

kri-zal giri17-zal
gi

kirid(KEDA) hair clasp (Farber, AV Reiner (1987)

96-99) (kirissu)
kisal courtyard
kisal-luh courtyard sweeper
kislah(KI.ZALAG) empty, uncultivated land, vacant
lot

(na4)

kiib seal, seal impression; sealed document

kiib - ra to impress a seal

kii8 ant
(gi)

kiig(.GIR2-gun), (gi)kii16 (a kind of acacia)

(agu) (Veldhuis, Education 170; Biggs, OIP 99, 6970)
(gis>)

kiig2(GR-gun), (gi)kii17 (gi)d

31

ku-li friend (ePSD now reads gu5-li)

ku7(d), ku7-ku7 sweet

ku-mul cumin(?)
ku-nu to come (a literary word)

ku10(g), kukku5 black, dark; darkness (often

reduplicated: ku10-ku10 or kkku; see also gg) (Civil,
EBLA 1975-1985, 155 n. 32)

k gu7

kux(dr) ku4, tm

k(g) (kug) to be sacred, holy; to sanctify

kul handle (of a tool)

k(g) holy, sacred; shining, bright, clean, pure (cf.

Vanstiphout, AV Jacobsen II (2002) 259f.)

kum gum
km v. to heat; adj. hot

k(g) (kug) silver

kun tail; mouth of a river, canal
KU3.AN iron; (a tin-antimony alloy?) (amtu) (Reiter,
AOAT 249, 353-357; 384-388)
k-babbar, also k-bar6-bar6 (or -bbbar) (Ur III
and earlier esp. in Laga texts) silver

kun-zi-da canal storage basin, reservoir

gi

kun4-5 stairs, ladder

knga ane-knga
k-dm silversmith, goldsmith
kur mountain; foreign land; netherworld
k-l g-gal
kur-gal Great Mountain (standard epithet of Enlil)
k-luh-ha refined, purified silver (Reiter, AOAT 89)
ku3-NE(-a) (a type of precious metal) (Reiter, AOAT
249, 85)
k-sig17(GI), k-s(g)(ZI) gold (the reading gukin is
obsolete) (Civil, JCS 28, 183f.)

kur-gi16muen, kur-gi(4)muen (domesticated) goose(?) ( >

Akk. kurk) (Veldhuis, Education, 263f.)
kur-ku/ku4 torrent, waves (ag); triumph
kr to be different, strange, foreign; to change, alter; to
be hostile, inimical

k-sig17-hu red gold

k-zu clever, experienced, expert
ku4(r) to enter; to make enter, bring in; to become,
turn into, be declared to be; to be made liable for (for a
reading kux(dr) of the DU sign in OS and Ur III see
Krecher, ZA 77, 7-21)
ku5(dr), kud(r) to cut, cut off; to decide (verdicts)
ku5-da (kud-da) turtle, tortise

kur4 gur4
kur6 uku
kur7 inspection (also read kurum7 or grum, written
both IGI.ERN and IGI.GAR)
kur7/kurum7 - a5 to inspect
kurun, krun (an alcoholic drink, probably a beer)

ku6 (kua) fish (Englund, BBVO 10, 227-230)

kuruda small-cattle breeder (some read guruda or

guruta)

ku6-a-d fresh fish

ku skin, hide; leather

ku6-izi smoked fish

KU.A.EDIN.L kummu

32

k to be(come) tired, weary, exhausted; to be

troubled; to sigh; to ponder, deliberate; to rest, relax, be
calm, calmed, soothed
k cubit (a length measure = 1/6 gi = ca. 0.5 meter)

lagaski, lagaki the city and state of Lagash (see

Attinger, NABU 2007/37 for final sibilant)
lah4-5 tm
lahar ewe

k mould
ku7(SAHAR) (newest reading is , possibly to be
distinguished from a different occupational term
sahar) equerry, groom, page, personal attendant (Beal,
NABU 1992/2; Steinkeller, Sale Documents 180)

ll date syrup, sweet syrup, honey; adj. sweet (as

honey) (cf. Zgoll, AOAT 246, 376)
ll-hur wax; model(?)
d

ku6

ku shark (PSD B); turtle, tortise (Cohen, JCS 25,

203-210); crab or snapping turtle (ePSD)

lamma(r) (some still read dlama) female protective

deity, good genie, "angel" (Heimpel, NABU 1994 p.
73)
lam lum

gi

lam almond

gi

la-ha-ma (a class of long-haired servants of the god

Enki, residing in the Apsu)

gi

lam-gal pistachio (buuttu)

le-um writing board(s)

gi

la-la, a-la (male) prime, vigor, fullness, appeal,

handsomeness
l(l) (lal) to hang, suspend; to spread, stretch out,
extend; to weigh; to pay (in silver or other metals); to
tie, bind, attach, gird, wrap; to harness, yoke; to wear,
carry; to load (a pack animal); to diminish, decrease,
reduce, refine
l minus (in counting, accounting)
l-NI remainder, arrears, surplus, difference
(accounting and math.). Several readings have been
suggested, l-a or l-ux; cf. Steinkeller, AuOr 2, 137139; Snell, YNER 8, 228 . In OS Laga economic texts
the term is written l-a.

li juniper(?) (buru)

li(b) to be happy, glad

li-li-s kettledrum
libir v. & adj. (to be) old, lasting
lil foolish (> lillu fool, idiot)
ll air; nothingness; phantom (cf. eden-ll haunted
steppe, l-ll incubus > lil)
limmu, limmu2/5 four (Edzard, AV Klein 101)
lipi heart; strong emotion, anger

lag clod (of dirt)

lipi - bal to become angry

lagab (massive) block, lump

lipi-tuku in anger, angrily

LAGAB gur4, kur4, lgud, nin

lirum physical strength, athletics; cf. l-lirum athlete,

wrestler

lagar, lagal, lagarx(SAL.HB) "vizier," a highranking priest(ess) or official (Wiggermann, ZA 78,

225ff.)

lu to be or make numerous or abundant, multiply (Akk.

mdu, du, kamru) (Steinkeller, SEL 1, 5ff.)

33

lu(g) (lug), lu5(g), also lu5(k) before Ur III to live

(referring to animals); to herd, pasture, tend (animals)
(Akk. uzuzzu, rabu) The plural root is sig7 or se12
(see Steinkeller, SEL 1, 5ff., Third Millennium Texts
35, reading lukx or lugx) (see Attinger, ZA 95, 47f. for
distribution of g/k )
lu(g), lu-g to be twisted, crooked (zru)
(Michalowski, Lamentation p. 100; Civil, Farmer's
Instructions p. 175)
lu(-b)nisi turnip(?); bean(?) (Akk. luppu)
lu-lim lulim
l person, man; someone; person in charge (Jacobsen,
AV Kutscher 69ff. "boss"); the one who (relative
pronoun) (Emesal mu-lu) Cf. l-lu
l-bappir, l-bppir (OS) brewer (cf. lunga)
l-bar-ra outsider, foreigner, stranger

l-mah (a high-ranking priest, the male counterpart to

the ere-diir priestess); (an ecstatic priest?) (see
lumahhu, mahh)
l-na-me (or just na-me) no one, someone
l-n-zuh (or ln-zuh ?) thief
l-nisi-ga vegetable gardener (cf. YOS 18, 115 iii 24)
(l-nisi in Laga I texts)
l-tg-du8 tg-du8
l-u5 mounted courier
ku

lu-b leather bag (luppu)

l-lu, l-u18-lu men, people; human beings,

humanity, mankind (< *l-l)
l-ur5-ra lender, creditor; debt-collector (Oppenheim,
Eames TT 6)

l-rim(-du/l) enemy

l-uzug5-ga a sexually impure or unclean person

l-gi-di-da flutist (Sjberg, AV Limet 137)

l-zu-a, OS l-su-a someone well known,

acquaintance (also written elliptically just zu-a)

l-hu- hired man, hired worker; the constellation

Aries
l-igi-nin (an elite class of citizens in Laga I
administrative texts)
l-kar one (in charge) of a harbor district (Sjberg,
AV Limet 127 + n. 6)
l-kar-ra fugitive, refugee
l-ka4-e runner
l-ki-inim-ma, l-inim-ma witness

l to be(come) disturbed, stirred up, blurred, confused

lu5(g) lu(g)
lub(-bi) (with wood or copper determinative) (a kind
of axe) (Civil, Farmer's Instructions p. 149)
lugal king, master; owner
lgud(-da) short, small
luh to be clean; to clean, wash; to purify, refine

l-kin-gi4-a messenger

lukur (a kind of priestess); (a cloistered woman,

nadtu)

l-kr(-ra) stranger, foreigner, enemy

LUL lu(g), nar

l-la-ga (an outlaw, perhaps a livestock rustler)

(Heimpel, BSA 8. 106f.)

lul v. & adj. (to be) false, lying, deceitful, misleading,

treacherous (opposite zi(d))

l-lirum athlete, wrestler

lul lie, falsehood; treachery, danger

l-lul treacherous person, traitor

34

lul-ba furtively, treacherously

(gi)

lul(-da) - du11 to speak falsely, tell a lie (Attinger,

Elments 597f.)

m-addir ferry boat, hired boat

m boat

m-d boat builder

lul-da, lul-du falsely (lul-da < *lul-du-a like niga <
*n-gu7-a)
lul-da - p(d) to swear falsely

m-gd boat tow-man

m-GN, m-DN boat caulker, asphalter, shipbuilder (Steinkeller, Sales documents 255)

lulim, lu-lim stag

lum to be fecund, prolific, grow luxuriantly (by-form
lam)
(l)

lunga (lumgi) ) (wr. L.IM, IMxNINDA, or

IMxA) brewer The reading remains unclear (usually
read l-bappir, or l-bppir in Pre-Sarg. Laga texts),
probably a genitive construction. (Steinkeller, Sales
Documents 291)

m-gur8 deep-going boat, procession-boat; a boatshaped pot stand

m-lah4 boat owner, skipper, boatman
tg

ma6 (conventional reading, perhaps better tgba13) (a

fine divine or royal garment) (nalbau)
MAH utur
mah (to be) high, lofty, exalted, great, august

mah-di one acting in an exalted, magnificent manner

(tizqru)

gi

mar wagon (abbreviation for mar-gd-da, Civil,

NABU 1989/62)

(gi)

gi

MA gip

ma-(an-)si-um/ grain sieve (napptu); (a symbol of

royalty, see CAD ma B and Cooper, Curse of Agade
p. 242)
ma-az, ma-ra-az (to be) abundant(?), joyful(?) (elu)
(ePSD now translates "to swell") (often occurs together
with hi-li)
ma-da country, land, district, territory (Limet, RA 72
(1978) 1-12)
ma-la(g) boy-friend, (girl-friend)
ma-mu(d), ma-m(d) dream
ma-na "mina" (weight measure = 60 gn = 0.48 kg.)
gi

ma-nu (a kind of tree/wood used for cabinetry and

fuel, perhaps cornal or willow(?) (e'ru) (Powell, BSA
6, 102f.)

mar spade, shovel

mar-tu (or mar-d) Amorite; West(ern)

(im)

mar-uru5/ru10(GUR8/TE) mighty storm, hurricane,

tempest, west wind, storm wind (Eichler, AV Hallo 9094). Attinger, ZA 88, 182: marmarux. Cf. a-ma-ru(-k)

mar-uru5/ru10 -mar-uru5/ru10
mas-su, mas-s leader, chief; councillor (mass)
ma one-half
ma m
ma-da-ri-a (OS, an obligatory offering or tax) (Selz,
ASJ 17, 251-274 reads the root as /dri/)
ma-d (mada) gazelle (Steinkeller, BSA 8, 50)

gi

ma-s(-ab) (a kind of basket) (Zgoll, AOAT 246,

372f.)

35

ma-gaba(-k) offering(?) kid; (semi-weaned(?) kid,

Steinkeller, BSA 8, 55) (for the genitive see sila4gaba)

mes (strong, vigorous) youth, young man

gi

mes (a native tree/wood used to make furniture) (Van

de Mieroop, BSA 6, 159f.) (msu)

ma-gn(a) tent; tent-ground, camp

mi-ri mir
m, ma kid; (male) goat
gi

mi-r-tum (a stringed instrument)

m, ma increase of a herd, yield; tax (Sarg.); interest

(Ur III) (Steinkeller, JESHO 24, 139f.)

mi-tum gimitum

m-ane herd, (wild) animals

m munus

m-i6(-k), ma-i6 ominous dream (lit. "kid of the

night")

m - du11, m-zi(-d-e) - du11 to treat carefully, gently;

to take care of, provide for, cherish, nuture; to adorn,
decorate; to flatter, praise, extol rightly (also with
special verbal prefix i-ri-) (Attinger, Elments 603618)

m-sa bellwether, leader

m-u-gd(-gd) haruspex, diviner

M.S.DAM itlam
makim commissioner, deputy, inspector, bailiff
me divine power, attribute, office
me silence, dumbness, daze
me, -m to be (copula)
me- where, in the phrases me-a where(in), me-ta/da
wherefrom, whence, me- whereto, whither
me-dm bodily members, features
me-lm divine radiance, brilliance, splendor, aura, halo
(some now read me-lem4)
me-li-e-a Alas! Woe!
me-te (var. n-te) fitting, proper thing; ornament(?)
(simtu) (Cunningham, Analysing Literary Sumerian
76f.)
me-te - l to be fitting
me-te-na n-te-na
me-t/te-e - i-i to praise, extol
m battle, war
men (a kind of crown or turban)

M.S.S son-in-law, brother-in-law (Steinkeller,

Third-Millennium Texts 37-38; Sjberg, AV
Falkenstein 221-225.) Now often read mussas. Cf.
n-M.S.S
M.S.S-tur son-in-law (Sjberg, AV Falkenstein
225f.)
M.S.Smuen pelican or crane(?) (read gambi ?)
(Veldhuis, Education 242-243)
mn, min two (Edzard, AV Klein 100)
mn-na-ne-ne, mn-a-bi the two of them, both of them
mir, mi-ri, me-ri v. to be enraged; n. rage; adj. raging
im

mir, immer im-mir, tum9-mir

gi

mitum(TUKUL.AN), mi-tum divine weapon, mace

(also read mitta, midda, etc.) Cf
mtum(TUKUL.BAD) and other similar writings
(miu)
mu name, fame; year; line (of writing)
mu NOUN-ak-, mu-PRONOUN- because of, in
place of, someone or something
mu-gub(-ba) assigned lines, writing exercise, model
tablet

36

mu-im-ma (in the) previous year (wr. im-ma in OS)

mur-gu4 fodder (imr)

mu-lu (Emesal form of l)

murgu back, backbone; shoulder

mu - p(d) to reveal, call the name, invoke, name

someone (cf. mu lugal(-la) - p(d) to swear by the
king's name)

muru9(IM.DUGUD) cloud
murub4 middle (part), midsection; midst

mu(-) - sa4 to name, call as a name

mu snake, serpent

mu(-) - sar to write by name, inscribe

mu-r "dagger-snake" or "scorpion-snake" (a

mythical or literary serpent)

mu-sar-ra inscription
mu-tuku famous, renowned

mu-hu fierce snake (a mythical or literary serpent,

later a symbol of Marduk) (muhuu)

mu-ud-na itlam

m - br to loosen the hairdo, let free the hair

m to grow; to ignite; to incite (Auslaut may be /r/ or

/dr/; cf. OS munu8-m(d) maltster)

m, m countenance, appearance, aspect; halo, aura;

(a kind of crown)

mu4(r) to clothe oneself, dress, wear; to use, take, give

as clothing or as cloth covering

mu1-3 - tm to cease, have an end, stop (work)

(Wilcke, Lugalbandaepos p. 130f.)

mu7, mu7-mu7 incantation

muen bird

mud blood

muen-d birdcatcher, fowler

mud to create, engender, sire

mud5-me-ar joy, rejoicing (rtu)

muhaldim (muhaltim) cook, kitchen chief

(nuhatimmu) (See Sjberg, AV Limet 131f. for
extended discussion.)

na stone, boulder (cf. na4)

-na a5

mul star, constellation

na-an-na besides

mul to shine, sparkle, glitter; to be radiant, radiate; to

spread (branches, Urnamma EF 34), flower(?)

na-d(IZI), na-de5 incense (qutrnu) (Veldhuis, CDLI:

CDLN 2003:003)

mun n. salt; adj. salty

munus woman, female (some read m in certain

contexts, but its relationship to munus is unclear)

na - de5(g) a) to clarify, explain, instruct, advise; b) to

purify (ellu); c) to clear away/out, separate (animals
from herds, especially dead animals); d) to clear out,
cut (timber) See most recently Sallaberger, AV Klein
229-253; also Klein, AV Kutscher XVff.; Civil, AV
Hallo 74. Many still read the verb conventionally as
ri(g); Selz, ASJ 17, 260-262, reads /dri/. See also
de5(g).

mur lung(s); breast

na-gada herdsman, shepherd

munu8, munu3/4 malt

munu8-m(d) maltster

37

na-ma-su nu-mu-su

nam-dumu children (collective), childhood (abstract)

na-me someone, anyone; no one, nothing, none

(usually ellipsis for l-na-me or n-na-me); cf. ki-name- to no other place, u4-na-me never

nam-rim (assertory) oath; evil

nam-rim - ku5 to swear an oath (perhaps strengthened
with a curse)

na - r(D) to erect a stele (read perhaps dr)

na-r-a stele
n, gin n, gin
na4 precious stone (cf. na)
na4-r grinding slab (Ur III) (some read na4-kikkin)
(but cf. Civil, AuOr Suppl. 22, 132)
na4-u(-k) stone hammer, pounder (Civil, AuOr Suppl.
22, 132f.)

nam-ga-e8 (foreign) trade

nam-gal greatness
nam-uru young men (collective); young manhood
(abstract)
nam-kal-ga strength, might
nam - ku5 to curse
nam-l-u18-lu, nam-l-lu humanity, human beings,
people, population

na8 na
nam-lugal kingship
na to drink, give to drink (reduplicated na8-na8)
nam-mah greatness, majesty
na-ku5 a side pond or water reservoir for flood
control (Civil, Farmer's Instructions p. 133f.)

nam-nar musician's craft, musicianship; music

naa alkali-plant, soda; soap

nam-nin queenship

naa-si- sprouted alkali-plant

nam-nir-l authority, sovereignty, royalty

na, naa4 to grind, mill (cf. gaz, gum)

nam-ra(-ak) booty, plunder

gi

na mortar, hand-mill (OS, cf. Selz, FAOS 15/2

557)
naar carpenter
nam being, state, "that which is" (Krecher, ASJ 9, 86);
fate (Zgoll, AOAT 246, 378f.) Cf. also nam-bi-
because of this; nam NOUN-ak- because of
something; nam-u10 "what is it to me?" (ironic)

nam-, nm- (abstract noun formative)

nam-rad slavery
nam-dag nam-tag
nam-du10-sa companionship, friendship

nam-e brotherhood, fraternity

nam-ita (a prayer or rite)
nam-ub incantation
nam-ul valorous youth(fulness)
nam-tag, nam-dag evil deed, sin, guilt
nam - tar to decide fate, determine destiny Cf. older
syntax nam- - tar to decide as a fate
nam-tar fate, destiny
nam-ti(l), nam-ti-il life
nam- death

38

nam-zu knowledge, wisdom

n me-lm fearsome brilliance (two divine attributes

which often appear together as a hendiadys)

nanna(r) the moon god, patron of Ur

nar musician

n - ri to impose fear upon, oppress by fear, terrify,

cloak in fearsomeness

ne n

n silim-e - du11 to boast

NE bar7, km, e6 Cf. also me-lm(NE) and z gir10(NE)

n-su-ub crazy person; (an ecstatic?)

n - te() to grow afraid, be afraid of (-da-)

NE-NE nin
n-te() fear
ne, ne-en, ne-e this (one) (cf. ne-e = n-e = an-[nu-]
Emesal Vocabulary III 157)

n - te(n), te-en to refresh oneself, cool oneself under (i-); to calm down, relax

ne- -ne-
n-te self; cf. n-te-n by himself, herself
ne-me, ne-me these (anntu) (Steinkeller, Sale
Documents 221)

n-te-na(-k), me-te-na, mete(TE.ME)-na his or her

own

ne-mur ashes, hot embers (tumru)

n - tuku to revere, respect, have fear of
ne - su-ub to kiss
n-tuku reverent, respectful
n, ne, n strength, might, (military) force(s)
nesa, ne-sa, n-sa first fruits (offering); prime,
foremost. The nesa sign is LAK 159, distinguished
from murub4 only through Ur III.

n() (n) thing; that which (impersonal relative

pronoun); (abstract noun formative)
n--zi(-ga) violent act (nu)

ni-is-ku finest, select (said of equids)

n-ak-a accomplishment

n fear, fearsomeness (see major study by Cunningham

in Analysing Lit. Sum. 70ff.)

n-r-ra groats

n self (especially with possessive pronouns, e.g. n-bi or n-ba by itself); one's own (with pronouns, e.g.
n-za your own house); character, nature(?) (cf. Shulgi
B 10, 77) (Cunningham, Analysing Literary
Sumumerian 70ff.)
n - br to show off, make oneself important
n - db to relax, rest
n-gal great fearsomeness, awesomeness
n(-gal) - gr to be clad in (great) fearsomeness,
awesomeness
n gr-ru clad in fearsomeness

n-ba allotment, portion; gift

n-bn(KAxIM) turtle
n-buru14 harvest yield
n-dab5 appropriation
n-d-a string of (dried) fruit (Pre-Sargonic; replaced
by e-er-gu in Late Sargonic. See Civil, Or ns 56,
233ff.)
n-du7 a (theologically) fitting thing (The reading is
conventional, but many now read n-ul "primeval
thing." Cf. n-ul-l-a in Ean 1 vi 6 and Urnamma 26 ii
1 and see J. Bauer, AV Klein 26f. and AfO 40/41, 94

39

with J. Cooper, followed by C. Suter, contra

Falkenstein GSGL I 60 and Edzard, RIME 3/1.)
n-rim (or n-ne-ru) evil (thing), fraudulent action

n-si-s justice
n-ID n-kas7
n-u goods, production

n-GA(-r) possessions, goods, property (Until recently

read n-gur11, but see disc. s.v. ar. Michalowski, RAI
47, 418, takes as a loan from makkru.)

n-tuku wealthy, rich (person); wealth

n-galam artfully wrought thing; artfulness

n - tuku to be a creditor, lit. "to have something with

(-da-) someone"

n-gi-na truth, right; law, justice

n-ul n-du7

n-gig(-ga) interdicted thing, taboo; abomination, evil

act; bane, curse; a bitter thing

n-zi-l living thing, creature (iknat napitim); wild

animals (namma) (Tinney, Nippur Lament p. 167f.)

n-gur11(GA) n-GA(-r)

n-z-gub lunch, snack

n-kas7 - a5 to make an accounting

(l)

n-kas7-a5 (n-ka9-a5) (balanced) account, accounting

n-zuh-a stolen thing, theft

n-ku5 tax, revenue

ni9-ar cella (older reading is nin-ar; recently

Zgoll, ZA 87, 190 reads niarxar)

n-ku5 - a5 to tax, bring in revenue

n-kr hostile, hateful thing
tg

n-lm (a kind of garment)

n-zuh thief

niga grain-fed, grain-fattened (< *n-gu7-a like lul-da

< *lul-du-a or bar-da < *bar-d-a)
nidaba(PAD.dINANNA) (or nindaba, nidba) (food)
offering (see CAD nindab LL for writings)

n-me-ar awed silence (qlu); cheer (ritu)

n-M.S.S betrothal gift (Englund, Fischerei 111 n.
357; Steinkeller, Third-Millennium Texts 37f.)

nin to circle (about), go around, wander about; to

encircle, enclose, surround; to be surrounded with
(OB). Reduplicated imperfective form is probably to
be read ni10-ni10, byform ni5-ni5(NE).

n-na-me something; nothing (with negated verb)

niin(-na) total, totality, all together
n-na(m)-ma everything, all sorts of things
nin-ar ni9-ar
n-nam - zu to know all, everything
n-sa-ha fruit

niir (conventionally written nimgir) herald, town

crier; bailiff

n-sa nesa

nim, num fly

n-sm/m price (mu) (Steinkeller, Sale Documents

161)

nim - r to flash lightning

nim-r(-r) (flashing) lightning

n-sm-ma(-k) merchandise, purchasing capital;

purchases (imtu) (Steinkeller, Sale Documents 162)

gi

nimbar (old giiimmar) date palm The current

reading is in flux. Older sources show /nimbar/,

40

/ninbar/, /nimmar/. Civil, AuOr 5, 28f. + n. 25, reads

gi
nimbar.

nir trust; sovereignty, authority, noblity (?); (vault,

arch?)

nimgir niir

nir(-ra) clean (grain) (Civil, Farmer's Instructions p.

95)

nimin, nin5 forty (Edzard, AV Klein 105)

nin lady, mistress, queen; sister (Pre-Sarg. for later
nin9) For meaning in male divine names see Heimpel,
AV Jacobsen II (2002) 155-160. (Cf. ere) (ES ga-aan, also -mu-un in male gods' names, e.g. Nane B iv
20)
nin-diir ere-diir

NIR-da er7-da
nir - l to trust, have confidence in (-a), rely upon
nir-l sovereign, noble, princely one; trust(worthy)
nir-l-b (ES e-er-ma-al-b) proudly (etelli)
na4

nir7(ZA.MIR) chalcedony

nin-r-su(-k) chief god of the Laga state

d

nin-hur-sa- the creative mother goddess, goddess

of birth-giving
d

nin-kilim mongoose

nin-ll consort of Enlil the patron god of Nippur

nin-nnnamuen (a kind of harrier) (see Veldhuis,

Education 272-275 for writing variants)
d

nin-tu(d) the creative mother goddess, goddess of

birth-giving

nin9 sister (this sign is distinguished from the sign nin

only after OS)
NINAki (now being read niinxki based on Proto-Ea
288)
ninda bread, food
nnda breed bull; seed funnel of the seeder plow
nindaba nidaba
nindan(NINDA), nindanx(NINDA.DU) (a length
measure = 2 gi = 12 k = ca. 5.94 meters) (cf. gi-dininda(n) measuring-rod 1 n. long)
ninkum enkum
ninnu fifty (Edzard, AV Klein 106, reads final vowel
as long: /ninn/)

nisaba (or nidaba) goddess of reed and writing

nisi(g)(SAR) vegetable; greenery, vegetation; (postdeterminative for garden vegetables). Cf. l-nisi-ga
"vegetable gardener" YOS 18, 115 iii 24; l-nisi in
Presargonic Laga texts
ni twenty (Edzard, AV Klein 104f.)
nita(h), nta(h) male, man (Gelb, AV Diakonoff 8284)
NITA.GA bunga
nitadam itlam
nu not to be (in limited use as a finite verb)
nu- (old by-form of l which begins a handful of
compound nouns)
nu-bnda inspector, overseer; lieutenant
nu-bar (a kind of priestess) (kulmatum)
nu-(-k) (a priest in the cult of Nippur)
(> nakku) (Steinkeller, Sales Documents 226)
nu(-u8)-gig (a kind of consecrated woman, often
associated in some way with birthing) (qaditum,
itartum); (conventionally "hierodule" as an epithet of
Inanna) (Emesal mu-gib(GIG), mu-gi17(GIG)-ib)
nu-(gi)kiri6(-k) orchardman, gardener (also with
phonetic indicator in Ur III: nu-kikiri6, nu-kiri6ki)
(Steinkeller, Sale Documents 168f.; Powell, ZA 62,

41

190ff.) Sjberg, AV Limet 128, argues this is not a

genitive compound, but rather a form */nukarig/; cf.
the g/b alternation in the loan nukaribbu.
nu-mu(-un)-su, nu-ma(-nu)-su, na-ma-su widow
Rdg. is conventional; newest reading is nu-mu(-un)ku for which see Cavigneaux, RA 87, 111.
nu-siki, nu-sg fatherless or homeless child, orphan,
waif
gi

nu-r-ma pomegranate (nurm)

n(d), nux(SA4) to lie (down), go to bed; to lay down

(e.g. traps, snares; see Sjberg, AV Klein 297); to
creep, slither Conventionally read n. For the value
nux see e21; see also Veldhuis, Education 284, who
calls e21 "the inanimate complement of n."

pa-, pa-an zi - pa-, za-pa-

pa - to come forth radiantly; to be/make resplendent,
splendid; to make famous; periphrastic: pa- - a5 to
make resplendent
pa-muen(-na) feathers
pa-pah cella; bedroom (Alster, AV Hallo 15 + n. 2)
pa-sa-l-a tied bundle of sticks
p(d) to come into view or consideration, be revealed;
to reveal, show; to call (up), choose; to find, discover
pa4, pa5 irrigation ditch (palgu)
pa4, pap older brother, eldest son; forebear, "father"

gi

n bed Some read i-n, but see BiOr 42, 20 for

forms without a determinative, contra Steinkeller,
OrAnt 19 (1980) 79 n. 1. The word occurs with and
without determinative in Presargonic Laga texts, e.g.
DP 490 i 1-2, ii 1, iv 5; DP 427 i 1-3.
na4

nu11-gal na4i-nu11-gal,

numun (i.e. nuun) seed; descendant

nmun rushes

NUN

ku6

agargara

pa4/pa-bl-ga grandfather; paternal uncle; ancestor

gi

pad (a kind of basket)

pad(r) to break off a piece, chip off; to crumble, crush,

destroy (PSD B now connects at least in some
meanings with bu(r), q.v.)
pad(r) portion, piece (see also uku)
tg

pala1-3 (a divine or royal garment)

ku6

nun noble, prince; princess (cf. Temple Hymns line

82)
nun(-na) princely, noble, preeminent, grand; loud
nun-b loudly
nundum lip; lip or rim of a vessel

palil(IGI.DU) foremost one

gi

pan (rarely giba-na) bow (reading ban is obsolete,

see Civil, JCS 55, 50f.)
pr-rim4 bar-rim4

pe-el to defile, spoil, dirty (lu'')

nunuz egg

pe-el-l, p/bl-l spoiled, sour, bad; defiled, desecrated

(cf. u pe-el-l - du11 to defile)

nunuz - ar to lay eggs

pe heart of palm

P
pa branch, branches; stick

pe, pe4 to swell, expand, become fat, thick, enlarged;

to be(come) pregnant; to grow (said of a child, cf. UrNamma A 152)
pe - l to be powerful

42

p mouse (humru)

ri(g) de5

gi

ri-ri-ga de5-de5-ga

pe5 to card wool

rib, ri(b) great, surpassing, huge

pe10(KI.A) riverbank, seashore

ru-g to face, stand opposite, counter, confront, oppose

pi-lu5-da biluda

r(DU3) to erect, in na-r-a (read dr ?)

p(MA) fig

piri lion
pisa (conventionally read pisan) box, container (often
with reed or wood determinative)

S
sa sinew; string, cord; net; bundle, bunch

pisa-dub(-ba) tablet (storage) box or basket

pu-h-ru-um assembly (< Akk. puhrum )
p well (see also tl)
p-gikiri6 irrigated orchard
puzur5, buzur5 secret

sa-al-kad5 net sack

sa-ga sa6-ga, sig5-ga
sa-ar-ra (an OB hymn rubric, the second main
section of tigi and adab hymn types)
sa-gaz migrant laborer(?); highway robber,
murderer(?)
sa-gaz - a5 to perform migrant labor (?); to commit
murder (?) (cf. A. Westenholz, ECTJ No. 8)

sa-gi bundle of reeds

ra, ra-ah to hit, beat upon; to strike down; to drive

(animals); to impress (a seal). Verb has dual syntax: to
make something beat upon (-a/e) (older), to beat with
something (-e) (newer)

sa-gd-da (an OB hymn rubric, the first main section of

tigi and adab hymn types)

-(b)-ra-a -bra

sa-u throwing net (also as weapon)

ra-gaba, r-gaba mounted messenger, courier, rider

sa-tu mountain (< Akk. ad)

r-zu a-r-zu

s square (in Gudea and math., see Suter, ZA 87, 5)

gi

s to be equal to (-da-), match; to rival, vie with (-da-);

to make (accounts) balance

rab clamp, stock (cf. guurx)

re7 du
ri to lie (heavily) upon, press upon, put (firmly) onto,
into; to oppress; to affix, cover with; to found, erect; to
equip with
ri to blow; to drift; to convey

sa-pr (sa-br), sa-bar (hunting) net

s - du11 to reach, arrive at, attain, obtain, overtake

(Attinger, Elments 632-652)
s-du11(-ga) regular offering
s - s to plot, plan strategy

43

sa4 mu - sa4, e21

sa6(g), a6(g) to slaughter (sheep, goats) (reading
uncertain, cf. perhaps sg/sg to strike, also r to
slaughter sheep)
sa6(g), a6(g) to be good, beautiful; to be pleasing to
(cf. igi-a - sa6 to be a favorite of); to be pleased with (da-) (sa6 is now the preferred reading, at least for OB
and earlier)
sa6(-ga), a6(-ga) good, beautiful, pleasing
sa7(g) to be well-formed, perfectly formed, beautifully
created (probably connect with sa6)

sa - ar (-) to proceed, venture against, attack,

(dare to) oppose
sa-gaz - a5 to commit murder
sa-gg(-ga) Black Headed Ones (native designation
for the Sumerians)
sa i - ra to commit murder, kill
sa-i-ra-a murder
sa - l to lift, raise, hold the head high, be proud
sa-l-la proudly, with head held high

sa7-ga well-formed

sa - kal to give preference, prefer

sa10 to buy (with -i-); to sell (with -ta/ra-, secondary

development). Originally and in math. the meaning was
"to measure out grains as equivalents for other goods"
(cf. s). See Steinkeller, Sale Documents 153-162.
Older reading m is often still seen. Cf. sm.

sa-kal first rank, preeminent, foremost (some read

sa-rib, others cautiously prefer sa-KAL)

sa12-du5 (or sa-du5) field or land registrar (assukku)

(Falkenstein, NSGU III 153)
sg sg
sag8(KAL), sag10 sig5
sagi cupbearer
sa head; front, fore, beginning; surface; man, person,
human being; slave, servant (G. Farber, AV Klein 108115)

sa - k to organize
sa-k - a5 to pay attention to (-/-e) , heed
sa-ki forehead
sa-ki - gd to furrow the brow, frown
sa-ki-zalag - bar to look upon with a shining
countenance
gi

sa-kul bolt, lock

sa-men crown

sa first, foremost, principal; prime, first rate; firstborn;

sa-munus (grown) woman, female (Steinkeller, Sale

Documents 130f., reads sa-SAL; others read sa-m)

sa-bar head hair

sa-nita (grown) man, male (Steinkeller, Sale

Documents 130f.)

sa-bi- - to go to the fore, be foremost, most

excellent
sa-du head

sa-n-GA-ra financial/business capital; amount

available before crediting or debiting The rdg. -gur11ra is still current; for rdg. -ga-ra see disc. s.v. ar.

sa-du5 sa12-du5

sa(-e-) - rig7 to give, present, grant

sa - du11 to achieve, complete, create with great care

(Attinger, Elments 653-655)

sa - s(g) to entrust; to take care of, tend to, attend

sa - sg to be brought low, down, be in despair

44

sa - m to hurry, rush (into combat) against, attack

sa-u4 sau

s(g), s(k), s(g) to become, act, make like, make

into; to be equal, equalled; to set, put; to cast (in
moulds); to provide with
se12 sig7

sa-ur-sa (a member of the cultic personnel of

Inanna, perhaps a "cult warrior" figure who engages in
mock combat in her honor? Cf. Flckiger-Hawker,
Urnamma, p. 225)

si (animal) horn; horn (the musical instrument); hornshaped thing; tip, point

sa-s regular, constant, reliable; constant supporter

si to tie (shoes, sandles) (Civil, Or ns 56, 237)

sg - du11 to scatter, disturb, dislodge, disrupt,

dissipate, dissipate, diminish (Attinger, Elments, 655664)

si(g) (sig9) to be(come) full; to fill a space, container,

area; to cover, put all over, or to completely occupy an
area or surface; to pile up (apku); to inlay, overlay,
coat; to sink (a well, post, peg into the ground); to do
fully; to suffice, be enough; to add (interest to)
(Steinkeller, JESHO 24, 142 + n. 77) The verb has
dual syntax: to fill into (older), to fill with (newer).

saa chief (temple or palace) administrator (some read

saa, conventional reading is still sanga) (ang)
sau, sa-u4 helmet, head covering (usually with
wool or copper determinative)

si(g) to be(come) silent

sahar dirt, soil; dust, powder; ore

si(-ga) silent, silently; adv. si-ga-b quietly

sahar-dul-tag4 burial mound (Pre-Sarg.)

gi

si-ar bolt, bar

sakar u4-sakar

si-ig sig

sal v. & adj. (to be) fine, thin, delicate; to be frivolous

(cf. eme-sal)

si-il, sl(NUN) to unwind (a cord, rope), unfurl; to split,

cleave, divide, breach; to tear or rip up, off, open; to
peel off; to disband (a group) (saltu)

SAL munus, tl
sm, m price (cf. sa10 and see discussion in
Steinkeller, Sale Documents 153-155)
saman lead rope
sanga saa
santag(2-4) (i.e. satak) cuneiform wedge
sar garden plot; (an area measure = 1/100 iku = 1 sq.
nindan = ca. 38.28 sq. meters)
sar to write (on), inscribe
sar to run, chase
SAR nisi, u4-sakar

si-im m
si-im to smell (Perhaps connect with im? Cf. ir - siim)
si-im(-si-im) - a5 to smell, sniff
(urudu)

si-im-da, sim-da owner's mark, emblem, brand;

branding-iron (< Akk. imtu) (Foxvog, ZA 85, 5-6)
si-m radiance
si - s to do or perform in a regular, right, correct,
proper fashion; to maintain properly; to supply, provide
regularly; to make regular, regulate; to prepare, ready
in a correct way, put in order; to go straightway,
directly, guide straight
si-s just, righteous; just person
s(g) s(g)

45

si4, su4, sa5 red, reddish, brown (the sign is REC 48,
i.e. SI-gun)
sig, si-ig to be(come) weak, thin, flat, low, level; to
bring down, tear down, rip apart, demolish, level,
remove

siki-ba (sg-ba) wool ration

siki-mug wool of poor/inferior quality (mukku)
(Steinkeller, BSA 8, 57 + n. 133, Waetzoldt,
Textilindustrie 56-57)
sikil to be pure, clean, virginal; to purify

sig(-ga), si-ga weak; thin, narrow; low, lower, lower

land; south, southern

sikil(-la) pure, clean

sig(-ga), si-ga a-sig

sl(NUN) si-il

sg siki

sila street

sg to strike, beat upon, beat down, fell; to make

tremble, quake. Some now read sg with Proto Ea 490.
The verb has dual syntax: to make something beat upon
(older), to beat with something (newer)

sla (a capacity measure = 0.842 liter or ca. 9/10 quart)

sig4 brick; brickwork, brick walls (Reading is

conventional; PSD A/3 143b and ePSD now read
eg12.)

sila4 male lamb

sila4-ga(-sub-ba) suckling lamb

SIG4 - gi4 e25 - gi4

sila4-gaba(-k) offering(?) lamb; semi-weaned(?) lamb

(Steinkeller, BSA 8, 55) For the genitive cf. Ukg 1 iv
30 bar sila4-gaba-ka-ka. See also Archi-Pomponio,
Drehem No. 40; Selz, FAOS 15/1 p. 379.

sig4(-al)-r/ur5-ra baked, fired brick

sila11(), sila(ID) to knead

sig5, si-ig, sig to be(come) good, fine, pleasing,

beautiful (by-form of sa6(g); see also a-sig)

sila11- dough

sig5(-ga), si(-ig)-ga, sig15(KAL) good, high or best

quality, pleasing, beautiful. ePSD now prefers to read
sag10, sag8(KAL) (cf. sa6-ga, sa-ga)
sig7 (se12, si12) to be(come) green, yellow, sallow, pale
(read si12-si12 when reduplicated)
sig7(-ga), sig17, (reduplicated si12-si12) green, yellow,
tan; verdant (Steinkeller, BSA 8, 56) Cf. k-sig17(GI))
sig7 (perhaps better se12 or si12) plural of ti(l) and
lu5(g)
sig7-sig7 - ar to produce sobs (onomatopoetic?)
(George, RAI 47, 141-143)
SIG7-igi gur-igi
sig15(KAL) sig5
siki (sg, sk) wool, hair (siki is now the most common
reading)

silig ilig
silim to be well, whole, healthy, safe, at peace, in good
condition; to fulfill an office or term
silim(-e) - du11 to greet, salute; to boast (Attinger,
Elments 673-678)
silim-ma adj. whole, well; in good condition (as of
plows in Nik I 287); n. well-being
silim-ma Be well! (imperative)
simug smith
simmuen swallow (sinuntu) (Veldhuis, Education 279280)
sipa(d) shepherd; chief shepherd
sr zi(r)

46

sir5, ir5 to spin wool

s(g) to be equipped or embellished with; to wear (a

beard); to be served food (see - s(g))

sis(E) bitter, brackish (water); saline (soil)

sisi(ANE.KUR.RA),

ane

s-s (Ur III) horse

sud-r- (yellowish) gleam (said of moonlight);

amber; electrum(?)

sskur, szkur (a kind of prayer or rite)

su4 si4

su body; kin, family (e.g. Gilg. & Huwawa A 144);

substance (of the country) (cf. ku)

su6 (sum4) beard

su6 - l to wear a beard

su(b), su-ub, sub, sub6(TAG) to rub, wipe, scrub,

polish; to reap; to smear on (ASJ 11, 213; 8, 12); to
suck, suckle
su(g) to replace, repay

su8(b) du
su8(g) gub
sud s(dr)

su(g) s(g)
d

su-bar the outside of the body

su-dinmuen, u4-dinmuen bat (sutinnu) (Veldhuis,
Education 281)
su-GAN, s-GAN (a kind of copper?)
su-kalam(-ma) well-being of the nation

suen(EN.ZU) one of the two names of the moon god

(cf. dnanna), patron of the city Ur

sug (reed) marsh

sug-ge - gu7 to be obliterated, destroyed (lit.
"consumed by the marsh")
suh, suh5 to tear, rip, pluck out; to select, choose
(nasqu)

su-lim awesome light, brilliance

su - zi(g) to have goose flesh, become frightened
su-zi fear, dread
su-zi - ri to lay fear upon, strike fear into
s(d) to sprinkle, spatter
s(dr), sud(r) to be(come) distant, remote (in time or
space); to extend, prolong, elongate; to be long-lived or
long-lasting
s(dr), sud-r distant, remote
s(g) (sug4), su(g) to be empty, deserted; to be naked
s(-ga), su(-ga) empty, deserted, desolate; naked,
plucked
s(g), su(g) to sink (as of boats)

suh-(h)a, suh5-ha selected, select, first quality; elite

(troops)
sh to be confused, blurred, tangled, in disorder, in
disarray; to be dangerous
sh-sah4 - za to make a crunching sound (an
onomatopoetic construction; see M. Civil, JCS 20,
117ff.; Black, AV Wilcke 35ff.)
ku

shub boot, shoe

suhur (a feature or style of hair)

suhurku6 (a kind of carp)
suhu sole of the foot; base, foundation
sukkal vizier, chancellor; envoy, messenger
(Wiggermann, ZA 78 (1988) 225ff.)
sukud(r) to be (piled) high, towering

47

sukud(r), sukud-r/da adj. high, towering; n. height

-gal fodder; food (ukull)

(tg)

-ar aar

suluhu(SG.S) "long fleece," a kind of sheep and

fleece, also a kind of garment made from its wool
sum to give (older reading, now replaced by m)
sum onion (ePSD now reads m)

-ge - du11 to say to oneself, say inwardly

-ge-guru6-7 one's heart's desire

sum-sikil garlic(?)

-ge - p to envision inwardly (conventionally

"choose in/by the heart")

sumun (i.e. suun), sun (to be) old

-gu4 plowman's assistant

sn, -sn, smun wild cow

- gur4 to feel wonderful (see Civil ad Ninkasi Hymn

61f.)

sun5 humble (probably a by-form of du9(n))

sun7(KAL) to be harsh(?), vain(?)
sur to press out (liquids), squeeze, extract; to plait,
twist together (rope); to wipe away; to oppress,
suppress; to draw a boundary, mark off, demarcate,
delimit, divide
sr, r, sumur furious, fear-inspiring

- hu (wr. conventionally hun) to soothe the heart,

appease, calm down
-hul-gig hatred
- hl to gladden the heart, make happy
-hl-la that which gladdens the heart; a glad heart,
happiness, joy (also construed with a genitive: -hlla(-k))

sr zi(r)
-ka-tab fast, fasting
sr, sur ditch, trough
- k to deliberate, take counsel with (-da-)
surx(RIN) team; workers, work-gang, troop (OS)
(see Steinkeller, NABU 1990/12; Selz, UGASL 43 n.
178) Cf. rin

-l-s(d) merciful, gracious

- sg to be depressed, anxious
-sg depression, sorrow

-s-ga emptiness, nakedness

-a (a suffix occurring with the fractions 1/3 and 2/3 in
older texts)
(g) (ag4) heart, inside, interior, middle; womb;
meaning
- bal to breed
-bal-bal-a progeny; generation
- dab5 to feel hurt, be worried
-du10 young (of humans and animals), infant

-sur diarrhea
-sr-ra raging, furious heart
- ed7-8 to cool the heart, calm, soothe
-tm meadow
- tm/tm to decide
-zu midwife (abstu)

48

a4 ad - a4, e - a4
a6(g) sa6(g)
a6-ga sa6-ga
ab (a kind of container)
abra, sabra municipal overseer of fields
aa(LxKR) prisoner(?); (one to whom an injustice
is done, see Krecher, AV Matou II 57)
aganx(AMA.GAN(.A)) bearing mother (human and
animal) (see now Attinger, ZA 95, 274f. for rdg. amaaganx(GAN) with or without phonetic indicator)
aar(GU7), -ar, e-ar starvation, famine, hunger

e-er-ka-an - du11 (vars. -ha- and -ga-) to decorate,

adorn (Attinger, Elments 683-688; Civil, Or 56, 235
n. 10; Sjberg, TCS 3, 92)
e-er-ma-al-b proudly (Emesal for nir-l-b =
etelli)
e-er-zi gleam, radiance, brilliance
e-ga willing, obedient
e-ga-b, e-ga-ne-ne by mutual agreement, with both
(or all) of them in agreement
e-ar aar
e-gn glue (also as paint medium)

agina governor; general

e-gu-nu, e-g/gn-nu speckled barley; second, late

crop (cf. gn)

h, ah pig

e - gur10 to harvest grain

dug

e-i- sesame (see BSA 2 passim)

akir churn

m sm, sa10

e-li pine or juniper seeds (kikkirnu)

andan(a)(GAL.NI) gardener

e-L coriander (kisibirru)

r to be or make numerous, multiply

e-numun seed barley, seed grain

r the numeral 3600; adj. numerous, many,

innumerable, manifold, all; n. multitude

e - a4 to moan, groan
e-e9 ripe barley

r to slaughter (sheep)
e--suh fir cone (ASJ 9, 349 n. 9) (terinnu)
r-ra-ab-du8 (a field worker)
e barley, grain; (a weight measure = 1/180 gn = ca.
1/20 gram)
E niga
e(g) v. and adj. (to be) agreeable, willing, obedient
e-ba barley, grain ration
e-du10 (a tree and its wood) (Powell, BSA 6, 115f.)
e-er-gu string of fruit (from late Sarg. on); ringshaped ornament (OAkk) (Civil, Or 56, 235)

e8 ( ) to cry (cf. r - e8)

e21(SA4) (a) (a writing for sa4 = nab); (b) (an error
for n, i.e. nux(SA4). See Civil, Iraq 23, 168; Wilcke,
LE ad 35. Veldhuis, Education 284 calls e21 an
"inanimate complement" of n.
e25 - gi4 to cry out, scream, screech. The old reading is
ix(d). Read now e25/eg10 for KAxID or e26/eg11
for KAxDB. Gudea texts write eg12(SIG4). See
Zgoll, AOAT 246, 312f.
ed7-11, e4/12/18, se11(SIG) to cool, be cool, cold; to
soothe, calm, appease

49

(A.AN), e7(IM) to rain; n. rain (also written

IM.A.AN, IM.A, or IM.A.A)

id counting; line count (at the end of tablets)

ID.ID feathers

e6 to boil, cook, heat, bake (balu)

e9 ripe (grain)

ika potsherd; shell, carapace; (fish) scales; cf. ikaku5-da broken potsherds

e9 wild boar; wild sheep(?)

ilam (wild) cow

e9-bar (or ebarx(E9)bar) Mesopotamian fallow

deer (conventionally "wild ram, sheep," but see Steinkeller, BSA 8, 50)

ilanga sila(-)
ilig (silig) to cease (usually in negated participle nuilig-e unceasing); to make cease, annihilate

eg10-11 - gi4 e25 - gi4

(urudu)

m, si-im (a kind of drum)

im aromatic, a substance having a pleasing odor or

fragrance (first element of numerous terms for resins)
Cf. perhaps si-im to smell.

urudu

en (a kind of kettle or ewer)

EN dur10
en v. & adj. (to be) clean, pure
en-en very clean, immaculate
en-en battle (cf. the same sign read dur10)
er7(NIR)-da capital crime/offense, serious "felony"; a
corresponding punishment. Civil, AV Hallo 75ff. reads
NIR-da, Emesal r-da, e-er-da (the er7-da read by
some cannot be proved directly; perhaps Akk. nrtu
"murder" was the original source for a word *ner-da?)

im-zi-da, im-bi-zi(-da) mascara, kohl (antimony

paste)
gi

inig tamarisk (bnu) (Powell, BSA 6, 106f.)

r song (J.G. Westenholz, AV Klein 350f.) (ru,

zamru)
r - ra to strike up a song, sing
r(-re-e) - du11 to say (as/in) a song, sing (Attinger,
Elments 690-695)
r-nam-ub (a mainly Emesal hymn type) (FlckigerHawker, Urnamma p. 260-263)

E sis
e brother (to be read es or ses in OS at least)

ita (syllabic e-da) (a kind of priest); (a cultic vessel)

Cf. nam-ita

e-gal elder brother; school monitor

ita-ab-(b)a (a kind of priest)

e8

ta (obsolete, read now utg mace)

e4, to anoint, anoint oneself

itim, idim house builder, mason (itinnu) (Sjberg,

AV Limet 128f.)

i-pa- zi-pa-
ibir(U.ENxKR) (shepherd's) staff (ibirru)
(Veldhuis, Education 175f.)
id to count; to recount, recite, read; to count, number
among, reckon as; to do an accounting

u hand; handwriting; handle (Steinkeller, ASJ 9, 349

n. 11); pounding stone, muller (Civil, AuOr Suppl. 22,
132); responsibility of
u-a - bal to transfer, transmit, hand over (Civil, JCS
28, 79)

50

u-a - gi4 to hand over, turn in, transmit, hand down; to

repeat (with or without -a)

u-ar - gi4 (also u - gi4) to avenge, take vengeance

on, repay (lit. "to return, send back what was done")

u-a - si(g) to pay, put full payment into the hand

u-gi4 old one (person or animal)

u - bad to open the hand; to lay hands on, seize, loot

(cf. u - ba(r))

u - gi4 u-a - gi4, u-ar - gi4

U.BAD zapah
u - bal to overturn, alter, change
u-bal - a5 to overturn; to replace, change X into Y
(Civil, JCS 28, 79f.)
u - ba(r), u - bar to release, set free; to forget (the
original root is /badr/; cf. u - bad and see Krecher,
AV Kutscher 111-117)
u - dab5 to (make the hand) seize; to take (with) the
hand
u - dag to wander; to abandon (cf. dag)
u-daal - du11 to effect or accomplish much, make
great exertions (cf. u - du11)
u - d to slander, denounce
u - d to capture (cf. CAD K 129a)
u - du7 to do, set, perform, prepare, correctly or
perfectly; to complete, perfect; to embellish, adorn
u-du7(-a) perfect
u - du8 to hold (in the hand); to guarantee, provide
surety for
u-du8-a guarantor
u-du8-a - gub to establish a guarantee or surety, to
serve as guarantor for

u - gd to reach out the hand, take, accept; (to perform

an extispicy, cf. m-u-gd-gd)
u-HA(d) (or u-pe(d) or u-ku6(dr)) fisherman. The
old reading is u-ha; many now read u-ku6. See major
discussion in Englund, BBVO 10, 230-236. In view of
the variant pe(HA-gun), the reading might be upe11(HA), assuming that the problem of the Auslaut is
the same as that of kdr. ePSD reads /ukud/. J.
Bauer, ZDMG 146 (1996) 183, hesitantly proposes
/ukudr/ in the OS Laga texts. Cf. also Bauer, AWL
p. 375f. and CAD ukudakku.
u - hu/ru-uz to burn, roast
u-i barber
u-l-la (an Emesal temple prayer)
u - kr to insult, denigrate
gi

u-kr equipment, tools, implements (untu); (a

musical instrument)
u-k service, assignment
u-k - dab5 to do a service; to revere; periphrastic:
u-k-dab5 - a5
u - l to defile, desecrate
u - luh to wash the hands; to wash, cleanse;
periphrastic: u-luh - a5 to clean (a canal)
u-luh lustration, washing ritual
u - m to make grow, emerge; to pray

u - du11 to use the hand; to do, effect; to exert oneself;

to accomplish (Attinger, Elments 696-703)

u - nin to circle around/back, make a round trip

u-du11-ga accomplishment, creation

u-nin(-na) all encompassing

u - ar to set the hand to, do something (good,

worthy), do a favor, favor

u-nin, u+nin sub-total

u+niin grand total

51

u-nir standard
u-pe-el-l - du11 to defile (Attinger, Elments 710714)
u - pe to increase, broaden, expand

ub to (let) fall, be felled, fell; to throw down, away; to

forsake, abandon, dismiss; to give up, leave off
ub-ba fallen, collapsed, demolished, abandoned
UB-lugal royal subordinate, vassal(?) (a class of
workers in Presargonic texts)

u - ri to lay the hand upon; to wring the hands

uba bright, shining
u-ri-a, (OS u-ru-a, u-r) one-half (Civil, Or 56,
234; Steinkeller, JESHO 24, 142)

ubun ibun

u-si finger

ubur slave (Gelb, AV Diakonoff 89f.)

u si - s to keep in good order

d, u12 n. prayer; v. to pray

u-sh-a - du11 to produce confusion, disturbance

(Attinger, Elments 716-718)

d - du11 to say a prayer, pray (Attinger, Elments

726-728)

u - m to give, entrust

d - r to pray

u - tag to touch; to play a musical instrument (e.g.

Nane Hymn 44; see Sjberg, AV Limet 135); to
decorate (Attinger, Elments 722f.)

gi

u-tag - du11 to decorate, adorn (Attinger, Elments

720-725)
u - tag4 to dispatch, send out, send over (Civil, AuOr
8, 109-111 reads. tak4)

udul(4) yoke (some read udun)

uku(dr) food portion, subsistance allotment (uku is

the conventional reading, ePSD reads kur, and some
now read pad(r). The value kur6 does not exist; see
Steinkeller, Third-Millennium Legal Texts 69.)
(kurummatu)
ukur thorn, needle
gi

u - ti to take from (-i-), accept, receive, get, seize,

catch; to reach for (the imperf. root is usually te())

ukur reed fence, corral (Civil, AuOr 5, 22; Rmer,

AfO 40/41, 30ff.; Michalowski, Lamentation p. 75)

u-tur inscription

gi

gi

u-r-me/mn, urmen(U.ME.EREN) cypress

(the tree, its wood, or its resin)

ul noble, valiant, young man (or the like) (some now

read sul)

u - r to erase, rub out, annihilate (imperf. often

written uru12(R) as well as r-ru/re)

um to slaughter

ukur, uruduukur, spear, lance

urudu

um saw

u-ur6(-r) r
urudu

um-gam curved(?) saw

u - s to push (open)
u - zi to raise the hand (destructively) against
(), u4 (u) to (let) fall upon, spread over, cover
(especially with nets); to overwhelm, cast down; to
become obscure, dark

m(SUM) to give; to pay (in commodities or a

combination of a metal and commodity) The standard
older reading sum may also be correct in some
contexts; see Zgoll, AOAT 246, 311.
r to be furious, enraged

52

r, u-ur6(-r) furious, angry, haughty; angrily

(uzu)

r-b furiously, angrily

te() (imperf.), ti (perf.) to approach (cf. Thomsen,

Sumerian Language p. 114f.)

te cheek

r-dmuen falcon
urim(LAGABxGUD:GUD), rim(LAGABx GUD)
dung
u,
ku7
utur(MAH) quality cloth

te(n), te-en (redupl. te-en-te) to cool; to soothe,

assuage; to extinguish (a fire); to annihilate
te-en cool, cold; te-te-en very cool (Sjberg, AV
Jacobsen (2002) 232; root was originally te-me-en like
sun/sumun)
te-e t
TE.ME n-te
temen, te-me(-n) foundation (originally the pegs
which mark out the foundation plot; see Dunham, RA
80, 31-64)

T
ta(-m) what?
tab to be parallel, lie parallel to; to double; to twist,
entwine; to link, join, unite; to lock; to sweep away,
devastate (sapnu) (cf. Michalowski, Lamentation p.
71; Civil, NABU 1987/49)
tab-ba companion; pair, twin; together
tb, tab to burn, glow
tag to touch, prod; to touch wrongly, profane, spoil; to
weave; to overlay, face, embellish; to apply, treat with;
to broadcast (seed-grain, cf. Maekawa, ASJ 15, 112)
TAG sub6
tag4, tak4 to leave, leave over, leave for the benefit or
use of; to abandon, divorce; to remove (see Civil,
AuOr 8, 111 in disc. of u - tak4)

temen - si(g) to lay a foundation (originally to sink the

pegs marking out the foundation)
t modesty, shame; vigor, pride; (a euphemism for
vulva) (cf. t nu-zu shameless (person))
t, te-e unity, oneness; each one, one another
(connect with di one)
t-a, t-ba, t-ta together, as one
t-a s-ga(-b) put together as one, acting in unity
t-b, t-bi- as one, all together
t-b - gu7 UR-b - gu7
t - du11 to shout together, roar(?)

tl(SAL) to be broad, wide; to widen, expand; to

spread out, lay out

ti(l), ti-il to live, be alive; to dwell (the plural root is

sig7/se12 (Steinkeller, SEL 1, 5ff.; Thomsen, Sumerian
Language p. 135)

tl(-la) wide

ti te()

tan4 dan6
tar to divide, separate, cut Cf. nam - tar
gi

taskarin boxwood

uzu

ti(-ti) rib(s)

(gi)

ti arrow

ti-gi4-lumuen, ti-gid2muen-l (Gudea) (a bird) (Civil,

NABU 1987/48; Veldhuis, Education 187; Bauer, AV

53

Klein 19-22) For the related musical instrument see

tigidlu.

tu-di-da, tu-di-tum toggle pin, fibula (see Klein, ZA

73, 255-284; Sjberg, ZA 86, 224f.)

ti-la alive, living, while alive

tu-lu to loosen, slacken, relax

ti - bal turn sideways, onto the side

gi

gi

im

tibir, tbir palm of the hand

tu6 incantation

tibir - ra to slap

tu9 tg

tibira (dibira) metal and wood craftsman (also

involved in the making of statues). Wr. DUB.NAGAR
through Ur III, then URUDU.NAGAR in OB.
(Steinkeller, Sale Documents 176; Sjberg, AV Limet
127f.) (gurgurru)

tu10(b), tu11(b) to smite, strike, defeat (this meaning

has also been associated with the values hub, hb but
PSD keeps them separate)

tigi (a kind of drum); (an OB hymn type, a hymn of

praise consisting minimally of sagida and saara
sections)

td to whip

ti-z barbed arrow(?), arrow point(?)

gi

tigidlu/a(A3.TAR or DI.TAR) (a musical

instrument named after a bird) (Civil, NABU 1987/48;
Veldhuis, Education 187) (see ti-gi4-lumuen)
til to be finished, ended, completed; to finish off, bring
to an end
tlla crossroads; marketplace
tin wine (Badler, BaM 27 (1996) 42, has determined
that a residue in an excavated pot is that of a "grape
liquid, most probably wine," suggesting that wine was
indeed known in Mesopotamia.)
(gi)

tir forest, (riverine) grove

tir-an-na rainbow

titab cooked beer mash

tumuen dove, pigeon
tu(d), -tu(d) to be born, begotten; to give birth,
engender, beget; to form, create (statues) (some now
read (-)d)
tu(r) to be sick

tu-lu-bu-um plane tree or wood

tu-ru-na imdurun-na

tu11(b) (var. of dub to heap up ?)

tg, tu9(g/b) (woolen) garment

tg-A.SU tgaktum
tg-ba clothing ration
(l)

tg-du8 felt maker, fuller (a craftsman making a

special type of woven cloth, Sjberg, AV Limet 128)
tg-du8-a felt (Steinkeller, OrAnt 19, 85-93)
tg-mu-dur7(BU)-ra dirty clothing, rags, mourning
garments
tg-n-bra blanket
tg-u-gur turban
tuk, tuku (reduplicated du12-du12) to acquire, obtain;
to have, possess; to marry; to play a musical instrument
tuk4, tuku4 to tremble, quake, shiver (Foster, RA 75,
189); to buffet
gi

tukul mace, weapon, arms

tukum-bi, tukumbi if
tkur(KAxE) to chew, gnaw (kassu)

54

tl (public) fountain, well

tm, tm to bring in, deliver; to take away (see
Thomsen, Sumerian Language p. 133) Forms include:
de6(DU) perf. sg.; tm(DU), tm imperf. sg.; lah4(DU
over DU) or lah5(DU.DU) perf. & imperf. pl.
Problems remain, however. In OB there are
indications that the sg. forms are tm or tm perf. and
tm-mu imperf. There may be a link between this sign
and ku4(r) in OS and Ur III (see Krecher, ZA 77, 721); cf. the Ur III accounting phrase mu-TUM2-rata "out of income." The Emesal equivalent of tm is ir.
See Sallaberger, AV Schretter 557-576 for the
following new description: a) bring I = mit sich
fhren, geleiten. Used only with living persons or
animals that can move by themselves. Forms are
tm(DU) perf.sg., tm imperf. sg., and plural lah4 or
lah5 both perf. & imperf.; b) bring II = liefern "to
deliver." Forms are de6 perf. sg., tm imperf. sg.
tm (to be) worthy of, fitting for (-a//ra) (ana ...
luku), but cf. Sallaberger, AV Schretter 573f.
tm-ma (field) produce
tum9(IM), tumu(IM) wind
tum9-mar-d west wind; west
tum9-mir north wind; north
tum9-lu south wind; south
tn (pouch or receptacle); (an ax, often with a wood or
copper determinative, probably to be read ga)
tn - bar (or read ag?) to split with an ax
tur to be small, young; to diminish, reduce, deduct Cf.
the reduplicated substantive di4-di4-l (or du13-du13-l)
youngsters, little ones, children.
tur small, young; brief (cf. bnda)
TUR. kun5
tr cattle pen, byre
tu to sit, take a seat; to settle, establish residence; to
dwell, stay, abide Forms include: tu perf. sg. and pl.;
dr-ru-u(n) imperf. sg. and pl., also
durunx(DR.DR) in Presargonic Lagash texts. (See
Thomsen, Sumerian Langauge p. 270.)

tu - ar dr - ar

U
u ten (Edzard, AV Klein 103); "many times" (in
adverbial expressions like u-ta, u-e3, u-am3, see Civil,
Farmer's Instructions p. 70)
U.KID (read ita4 in -ita4)
U.UD.KID ni9-ar
plant, grass; food; grass-fed, free-range (animal)
-a food and drink, sustenance; provider (of a temple
or land, a common royal epithet) (zninu)
-du(l) supervisor of herds, chief shepherd
-du11(g) udug
-gu/g - d to become lost, disappear; to flee, escape
-ma-am animals
-rum property (of someone)
-sal (riverine) meadow
-sal-la - n to rest contentedly, live in peace, "lie
down in green pastures"
-si4-an(-na) dusk, twilight
-sig uzug5
- s(g) to be served food, dine
-im sweet-smelling grasses
high ground(?), island(?) (Civil, Farmer's Instructions
p. 132f.)
and, also, furthermore, moreover; (as correlative ...
either...or, neither...nor ) (loan from Akkadian u )
sleep
(-a), -u8-a, u8(-a) Woe! Alas!; lullaby

55

-di u6-di, -s

u4-buru14(-ka) (at) harvest time

-gul supplication, plea

u4-da on the day, when, whenever, if; today; daily

-gul - ar to address a plea, pray

u4-d-e like the daylight

- ku(4) to fall asleep, put to sleep (cf. -nu-ku

sleeplessness)

u4- sunrise, east (perhaps to be read utu- in contexts

with a variant dutu-, cf. Sjberg, AV Wilcke 260)

-luh offshoot, (tree) branch; scepter (fig.) (Civil,

Farmer's Instructions p. 105 n. 90 )

u4-n(-a) day of the disappearance of the moon

-luh(-ha) - s to send out offshoots, branches (Civil,

Farmer's Instructions p. 88f. + p. 105 n. 90 )
-ma victory, triumph

U4.dNANNA iti6
u4-sakar(SAR) crescent (of the moon); day of the first
visibility of the new moon, beginning of the month.
Perhaps to be pronounced [uskar]; cf. the Akk. loan
uskru.

-mu-un umun
-na ready for battle
-na-(a-)du11 letter

u4/-sar - a5 to sharpen, make pointed (previously read

u4-sakar, but see Civil, JNES 43 (1984) 284; Cooper,
Curse of Agade p. 245f.) (lu)

-nu-ku sleeplessness (Civil, AV Hallo 74)

u4-sud-r/da distant (future) days, long time;

cf. u4-sud-r-a/ unto distant days, forever

-s(g) (deep) sleep

u4- sunset; u4--u daily

-sakar/sar u4-sar

u4-tu(-ud)-da day of birth

-suh5 (a species of pine) (ahu) (Powell, BSA 6,

116f.)

u4-ul-l-a, u4-ul-la in olden times, in days of old (cf.

Akk. ull)

-sn sn

u4-ul-l-a-a unto distant (future) days, forever

gi

-ub, giNI-ub brickmould (see Steinkeller, AuOr

2, 139 for the reading of the variant)

u4 - zal to pass, said of time; to spend, pass the time (in

some activity); let the time pass, waste time, be late

-tu(d) tu(d)

u4-zal-le(-da) (at) daybreak, dawn, morning (cf. -u4zal-le)

gi

u4(d), ud day, daylight; storm; time; time of death (as

in the phrase u4-da-ni nu-me-a "before his time"); at
the time of, when (in verbal clauses of the form u4
CLAUSE-a-CASE or in (pronominal) phrases of the form
u4-(PRONOUN)-CASE)

u5muen wild goose (the iconic bird of Nane)

(Veldhuis, Education 294f.)
u5 to mount, board; to ride on; to transport

u4-ba then, at this/that time; formerly

u5 superstructure; cabin (of a boat); high-water (mark)

u4-bar7 midday

u5-bmuen (a bird)

u4-bi-ta since, after that time; as nominalized phrase:

earlier days, former time, days gone by

u6(g) awe, awesome vision, sight

u6-ga awesome, awe inspiring

56

u6-di, -di awe, amazement, astonishment, wonder,

marvel; daze, stupor (cf. -s)
u6 - du11 to admire, wonder, marvel at, be in awe of; to
provoke, inspire awe (Attinger, Elments 739-749)
u6-nir, -u6-nir ziggurat (complex) (ziqqurratu)
(Waetzoldt, AV Klein 329-331)
u8 ewe (see also lahar)
u8(-a) (-a)
u11-ri(2)-in, ri(n) eagle
u18-lu lu
u18-ru uru16
ub corner (angle); niche; shrine; room
ub-ll-l open air shrine (in a wall niche)
ub-u-ukkin-na assembly (esp. poetic)
ku

b (a kind of drum)

ub4 pit, hole (cf. ab)

ubur teat; spout (of a vessel); see also akan
ud5 uzud(Z)
udu sheep, ram
udu-aslumx(A.LUM) long-fleeced sheep (aslu)
(Steinkeller, BSA 8, 52)
(d)

udug, -du11(g) male genie, spirit (good or evil);

demon
udun oven, kiln
ug lion

ugu, gu (A.KA) (or a-g) pate, top (of the head)

(muhhu); account (Englund, BBVO 10, 72 n. 242;
Hilgert, OIP 121, 385)
gu-a - ar to charge to, put to the account of or at the
disposal of
gu-a - tuku to hold against/over someone
ugu4, ugu progenitor (male or female), begettor,
engenderer
ugu

ugu4-bi monkey

ugula foreman, overseer, officer

ugula-eta/-da officer (in charge) of sixty (men)
(Steinkeller, ZA 69, 176-187)
gur(SIG7) lintel (cf. gur-ig door lintel, Gudea Cyl A
25:10)
gur-igi eyebrow (u'ru)
people, population (reading uk is obsolete; some
maintain the older reading un as with alam/alan rather
than ala)
-da-ga nearby folk, neighbors (lit. "people at (one's)
side") (Steinkeller, Sale Documents 198)
-l bearer, porter
-lu-a teeming people, multitude
-r-ra numerous people(s), multitude(s)
uh, h spittle, slaver, mucus, phlegm; foam (wr. ah,
a
ah in Gudea) (cf. u11)
uh - du11 to spit Cf. aah-du11-ga spittle (of sorcery)
Gudea Cyl B 4:16
h-luh cough (literally "cleaning out phlegm")

ug5, ug7

ukkin, ukken, unken assembly (for an etymology see

Selz, AV Rmer 316f.)

ugamuen raven

uktin(SIG7.ALAM) features (bunnannu) (cf. lutin)

unim army (conventionally read ugnim; for

etymology see Selz, AV Rmer 317)

ku(r) poor (person)

57

ku(HL) cucumber
ul, ul-l-a adj. remote in time (past or future), ancient,
primeval; n. ancient time, antiquity (< Akk. ullm) (cf.
u4-ul-l-a)
ul a Presargonic capacity measure = 1/4 gur-sa-l =
36 sla = ca. 30 liters

umu good counsel, advice; discernment, judgment,

sense; mind
UN kalam,
n(BAD3)(-na) high (cf. i6-/un-na midnight, si-nna high point, zenith) (see also an(-na))
unu(g)ki the city Uruk

ul n. joy, happiness, pleasure; bud, flower, blossom

(see Flckiger-Hawker, Urnamma 201f.); beauty; adj.
beautiful

nu, unu6, nu-gal deity's private chamber, cella,

sanctuary; divine dining room, banquet hall

ul-a, ul-la with joy, joyfully

nu(d) (chief) cattle herdsman, cowherd

ul - a5 to rejoice
ul4 to hasten, hurry, be quick; tr. to hurry, harrass, put
pressure on (urruhu) (Civil, AV Hallo 74)

ur beast of prey, dog, lion; in personal names of the

type x-ur-u10 champion(?), (mighty) man/person(?)
(connect with ur5?) (some now read t) (Zgoll,
AOAT 246, 318; Cavigneaux, CM 19, 48-52)

ul4-h base of heaven

ur-bar-ra wolf

ul4-la-b quickly

ur(-b) - gu7 to press, clash together, fight in a pack

(reading uncertain, cf. t-b & UR.UR) (M. Green,
JCS 30, 153; Michalowki, Lamentation p. 70; A.
Cavigneaux, CM 19, 50)

lu, u18-lu, imlu south wind; storm, sandstorm

lu-di lamentation singer (perhaps derived from i-ludi?)

ur-gi7(r) (domesticated) dog

uluin(KA.ZZ.A.AN) emmer beer

ur-gi7-tur (var, ur-tur) puppy

lutin(SIG7.ALAM) form (nabntu) (cf. uktin)

ur-mah lion

um-ma old (wise) women, alderwoman

ur-sa hero, warrior

um-me-da, umme(UMxME)-da me-da

ur-ur, URxUR single combat, man to man (i.e. handto-hand) combat (Cavigneaux, CM 19, 50)

um-mi-a master scribe, craftsman, schoolmaster

umah(LAGABx.A) swamp (mihu, agammu)
umbin (human) nail, claw, talon, hoof
umbisa(ID) scribe
ku

mmu(d)(A.EDIN.L) (ummud) waterskin (ndu)

i ur-ur-e/ - l to engage or compete in combat

r leg(s), hip(s), loin(s); lap; private parts; bottom,
base, foundation, foot (of a tree)
gi

r tree trunk; log

r to sweep over/away, wipe off/away, flatten, level,

destroy; to slide, slither, drag

umun, -mu-un lord (Emesal for en, also for nin in

male gods' names, e.g. Nane B iv 20)

r roof, ceiling (cf. i-r)

mun, umum knowledge, cleverness

ur4 to gather, assemble

58

ur5 spirit(s), mood; liver

ur5(-ra) (interest-bearing) loan
ur5 this, this way, thus, so; negated: never
ur5-gin7 like this, thus
ur5 - a4 to roar, bellow
ur5-(-m) because of this, thus, therefore
ur5-tuku debtor
ur5 - ug7 to despair (Tinney, Nippur Lament 138 ad
36)
ur7 father-in-law
uri ki-uri
urudu

URI (a large metal container) (Steinkeller, ThirdMillennium Texts p. 32)

riki(m), uri5ki(m) the city Ur
ri(n) gate-post, gate-pole (Heimpel, JNES 46, 208f.);
standard
ri(n) (urin) blood, bloody (cf. Cooper, Curse of
Agade p. 251)
ri(n) u11-ri-in
uru(ki), ru city, town; (referring to a specific city?)
Most now read iri with Edzard, AV Civil 77-79, but
see Lambert's strenuous rebuttal, AuOr 10, 256-258.
Attinger, ZA 88, 167 n. 11, states that the OB writing
ru is "in origin certainly the Emesal form of iri."
uru-bar(-ra) outskirts, suburbs
uru4 to plow, till
uru16(n)(EN), uru17(ULU3), u18(ULU3)-ru high, lofty,
giant; powerful, mighty, strong (Ludwig, Ime-Dagan
107-113; Alster, AV Klein 10f.)
urudu, uruda (also a-ru12(EN)-da in Presargonic
Laga) copper (Reiter, AOAT 249, 149ff.) (Perhaps <
IE *roudhous, Foster, Umma in the Sargonic Period

33; but see also suggestion of Yuhong, AV Klein

388f.)
urugal (or irigal) netherworld; grave (poetic)
us-ga (a kind of priest?); treasury(?) (conventionally
translated as "fattening pen") (see Michalowski,
Lamentation p. 104f.)
s to be adjacent to, border on, come or bring up next
to (-e); to lie or lean against, upon ; to follow, go
immediately behind, chase
ku

usn, -sa-an whip (for construction and parts see

Civil, Farmer's Instructions p. 72)
s (u?) length, long side (in measurments)
usar, uar, sar, ur friend, neighbor; cf. sar dagi4-a "neighbor" (Steinkeller, Sales Docu-ments 242f.)

ussu eight (Edzard, AV Klein 103)

usu, -su physical strength, power; labor-force
u building lot, foundation platform
u-bar weaver
death; (blood(?) perhaps read uri4 and connect with
ri?)
(TIL), ug7(TIL), ug5(BD) to die In OS is used
for imperf. sg., ug5/ug7 elsewhere. In Ur III Drehem,
ug7 is used for a group of dead animals of the same
kind, ug7-ug7 for a variety of dead animals
(Sallaberger, AfO 40/41, 53; Heimpel, JAOS 119, 523
contra Steinkeller, ZA 71, 25). The vs. ug7
distinction may not have been maintained much
beyond the Ur III period.
u11(KAx) deadly spittle, venom, poison (cf. uh
and note that u11 also has the value uh4)
ubar mother-in-law
u thirty (Edzard, AV Klein 105)
uum serpent
uumgal(GAL+UUM), uum-gal great serpent,
"dragon" (poetic)

59

utu sunlight; the sun god Utu, city-god of Larsa

za-lam(-ar) tent

(d)

za-pa- voice, sound; tumult; throat (cf. zi-pa-)

utu- sunrise, east (some read u4- when

determinative is lacking)

gi

za-ra pivot stone or cap, door socket

tug, dug mace (reading ta is obsolete)

ZA-ten ad4

uzmuen (wild) duck (Veldhuis, Education 303) (the

determinative is often omitted to avoid a double HU
sign)

z(g) (zag) (right) side, shoulder; (outer) edge,

outskirts; border, frontier; end, limit

Z uzud

z(g) owner's mark, emblem (cf. z - )

uzu flesh, meat

z(-ar-ra) shrine

uzu-a-bala meat broth (ummar m ri) (Steinkeller,

BSA 8, 49 + n. 5)

z - dib to pass in front, go at the fore

uzud(Z) (female) goat Some maintain the old

reading z; others hypothesize a form ud5. Steinkeller,
Third-Millennium Texts 47, assumes uzud loses the
second /u/ when another vowel follows, becoming
/uzd/.
uzud-sa bellwether; foremost one, leader
uzug5, usug5 sexually unclean (syllabic writings exist,
especially in Gudea texts, e.g. -sig)

z-du8 threshold
z-gu-la seat of honor
z-hi-linisi conventionally "cress," but Civil, AuOr 5,
30f. translates "(a prickly plant)" and Ferwada, Isin 43
translates "(seed of) Vicia ervilia," i.e. bitter vetch
z - k to bind, fasten, gird on (garments, weapons)
gi

z-m lyre (or perhaps harp; see Lawergren &

Gurney, Iraq 49, 40ff.)
z-m/me praise; (an OB hymn type, a hymn of praise)

Z
za (precious) stone
za An old auxiliary verb appearing in the dub-dab5 za onomatopoetic constructions, for which see Civil,
JCS 20, 119ff.; Rmer, SKIZ 182f.; Black, AV Wilcke
35ff. Cavigneaux, ASJ 9, 50, suggests za = a4 =
a5(AK). Bauer, AoN 19, 7, suggests "tnen" or the
like.
za-am-za-am (a musical instrument)

z-m - du11 to say/sing the praises of (Attinger,

Elments 755-761)
z-mu(-k) end of the year, New Year
z-e strong thighs, running ability
z - /u4 to apply an owner's mark; to brand (Foxvog,
ZA 85, 1-3)
urudu

z- branding-iron

gi

za-ba-lum (a variety of juniper?)

za-dm, zadim lapidary

na4

za-gn lapis lazuli

za-gn blue; lustrous, bright, shining, pure

z - tag to push away, shove aside, reject; to

overwhelm, overthrow
zabar, zbar (OS) bronze (Reiter, AOAT 249, 288ff.);
bronze vessel, bronze-ware, bronzes; mirror
(Steinkeller, ASJ 9, 347-49)

60

zabar-dab5 (a powerful royal official) (Charpin,

Clerg d'Ur 236-240; Sallaberger, Der Kultischer
Kalender I 211 n. 997; 231 n. 1103 "etwa oberster
Mundschenk")

zi-pa- nostril, airhole; throat(?) (Emesal i-pa-; cf.

za-pa-)

zabar-u hand-mirror (Steinkeller, ASJ 9, 347-49)

zi - p to take an oath; to conjure

zadim za-dm

zi-qm royal road station (Ur III)

zh, zh v. to flee, escape; n. fugitive

zi- breath of life

zal to flow; to melt; to pass (time)

zi- - l to inspire, encourage

zalag (reduplicated zazalag) (to be) pure, shining,

bright

zi--l (divine) encouragement, inspiration

zapah(U.BAD) span (= k = ca. 9 3/4 inches)

zi - tm to betake one's life to, to save one's life, take

refuge

zar, zr (hay)stack, sheaves; heap, mound (Civil,

Farmer's Instructions p. 91f.)

zi-u4-sud-r life of long duration

zi - pa-/an to draw breaths, breathe

ane

ZI-ZI sisi

zar(-re-e) - tab to gather up or pile (grain stalks) into

stacks

z(d) (zd) flour

zar-re-e - tl to lay out (grain stalks) in stacks

z - dub to heap up, sprinkle flour (ritually), offer flour

z(-er) zi(-ir), bu(r)

z-dub-dub offering flour

zh (read now munus-gr)

zi life; breath; throat

z-sig15 coarse flour (hiiltum)

Z.E dabin

zi(d) to be faithful, trusty, steadfast, true, righteous,

good, fine

zb - gd to hold the reins (Civil, AuOr 17-18, 184 n.

18)

zi(-da) adj. right, upright, true, faithful, good; n. right

(hand or side)

zikum(ENGUR) heaven

zi(g) to rise, raise; to get excited; to remove, expend; to

be excepted, left out (NABU 1994/ 82)
zi-du just, righteous (person)
zi-ga mobilization, levy; (something) raised
zi - gi4 to calm down
zi(-ir), z(-er), sr, sr to slip, slide; to efface, erase; to
cancel, annul (JAOS 119, 523); to raze, destroy; (to cut
or remove plants)
zi - ir to be troubled, worried

zz emmer wheat
ZZ.AN (read imaa3?) dehulled emmer (?) See
Cohen, NABU 1990/ 134, for disc. of ZZ.A.AN =
/udra/ = utr (see CAD kunu LL); for ZZ.A (OS
Nippur) read thus d-duru5. Cf. ZZ = d = tiktum (a
type of flour).
zu, OS also su to know; to know how, be able; to
acknowledge, make known, proclaim; to learn,
discover; to inform, teach
zu-a, OS su-a acquaintance (elliptical for l-zu-a)
z tooth; point, tine (of a tool or weapon)

61

z - bir9(NE) (also read gir10) to laugh

z - gu7, z - ku5 to bite (off)
z - gub to bite, eat (Civil, JNES 23, 9)
z-lum date
zuh to steal
zuh-a stolen
zukum(NMUN) to step, tread
zulumh suluhu
zur to break, raze (var. of zi-ir?)

62

Abbreviations

AfO Archiv fr Orientforschung (Berlin/Wien)

Analysing Lit. Sum. J. Ebeling & G. Cunning-ham,
Analysing Literary Sumerian (London, 2007)
AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament
(Neukirchen-Vluyn)
ASJ Acta Sumerologica Japonica (Tokyo)
Attinger, Elments Pascal Attinger, Elments de
linguistique sumrienne. Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis.
Sonderband (Fribourg/Gttingen, 1993)
AuOr Aula Orientalis (Barcelona)
AV Birot Miscellanea Babylonica. Mlanges offerts
Maurice Birot Paris,1985)
AV Civil Velles Paraules. Ancient Near Eastern
Studies in Honor of Miguel Civil, Aula Orientalis IX
(Barcelona, 1993)

AV Wilcke Literatur, Politik und Recht in

Mesopotamien. Festschrift fr Claus Wilcke.
Orientalia Biblica et Christiana 14 (Wiesbaden, 2003)
BaM Baghdader Mitteilungen (Berlin)
Borger, AbZ R. Borger, Assyrisch-babylonische
Zeichenliste. AOAT 33 (1978-)
BSA Bulletin on Sumerian Argriculture (Cambridge,
MA)
CDLI (UCLA-CDLI) University of California at Los
Angeles - Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative
CM Cuneiform Monographs (Groningen)
Civil, Farmer's Instructions M. Civil, The Framer's
Instructions (Barcelona, 1994)
Englund, Fischerei Robert K. Englund, Organisation
und Verwaltung der Ur III-Fischerei. Berliner Beitrge
zum Vorderen Orient 10 (Berlin, 1990)
ePSD The Electronic Pennsylvania Sumerian
Dictionary (on the Internet)

AV Diakonoff Societies and Languages of the

Ancient NearEast. Studies in Honour of I.M. Diakonoff
(Warminster, 1982)

FAOS Freiburger Altorientalische Studien

(Wiesbaden)

AV Falkenstein Heidelberger Studien zum Alten

Orient. Adam Falkenstein zum 17. September 1966
(Wiesbaden, 1967)

Flckiger-Hawker, Urnamma E. Flckiger-Hawker,

Urnamma of Ur in Sumerian Literary Tradition. Orbis
Biblicus et Orientalis 166 (Fribourg/Gttingen, 1999)

AV Hallo The Tablet and the Scroll. Near Eastern

Studies in Honor of William W. Hallo (Bethesda,
1993)

JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society (New

Haven)

AV Kutscher kinatttu a drti. Raphael Kutscher

Memorial Volume (Tel Aviv, 1993)
AV Jacobsen II Riches Hidden in Secret Places.
Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Memory of Thorkild
Jacobsen (Winona Lake, 2002)
AV Matou Festschrift Lubor Matou. Az Etvs
Tudomnyegyetem kori Trtnenti tanszkeinek
kiadvnyai 25 (Budapest, 1978)
AV Rmer dubsar anta-men. Studien zur
Altorientalistik. Festschrift fr Willem H. Ph. Rmer.
AOAT 253 (Mnster, 1998)
AV Schretter Von Sumer bis Homer. AOAT 325
(2004)

JCS Journal of Cuneiform Studies (Cambridge, MA)

JESHO Journal of the Economic and Social History
of the Orient (Leiden)
JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies (Chicago)
Michalowski, Lamentation Michalowski, The
Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur
(Winona Lake, 1989)
MSL Materials for the Sumerian Lexicon (Rome)
NABU Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brves et
Utilitaires (Paris)
Oppenheim, Eames A.L. Oppenheim, Catalogue of
the Cuneiform Tablets of the Wilberforce Eames
Babylonian Collection in the New York Public Library
(1948)

63

Or Orientalia (Rome)
OrAnt Oriens Antiquus (Rome)
Priest ands Officials (1996) K. Watanabe (ed.),
Priests and Officials in the Ancient Near East
(Heidelberg, 1996)
PSD The Sumerian Dictionary of the University of
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, 1984-1998)
RA Revue d'assyriologie et d'archologie orientale
(Paris)
RAI Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
RlA Reallexikon der Assyriologie und
vorderasiatischen Archologie (Berlin)
Sallaberger, Tpfer W. Sallaberger, Der
Babylonische Tpfer und seine Gefe (Ghent, 1996)
SEL Studi Epigrafici e Linguistici (Rome)
Selz, UGASL Untersuchungen zur Gtterwelt des
altsumerischen Stadtstaates von Laga (Philadelphia,
1995)
Steinkeller, Sale Documents Piotr Steinkeller, Sale
Documents of the Ur-III-Period. FAOS 17 (Stuttgart,
1989)
Steinkeller, Third Millennium Texts Piotr
Steinkeller & J.N. Postgate, Third-Millennium Legal
and Administrative Texts in the Iraq Museum,
Baghdad. (Winona Lake, 1992)
Tinney, Nippur Lament Steve Tinney, The Nippur
Lament (Philadelphia, 1966)
Veldhuis, Education Niek Veldhuis, Elementary
Education at Nippur. CM 22 (Groningen, 1997)
Westenholz, ECTJ Aage Westenholz, Early
Cuneiform Texts from Jena (Copenhagen, 1975)
YNER Yale Near Eastern Researches (New Haven)
YOS Yale Oriental Series, Babylonian Texts (New
Haven)
ZA Zeitschrift fr Assyriologie und vorderasiatische
Archologie (Berlin/New York)

64