Number: 2491
Proto-Semitic: *paʔr-
Meaning: mouse
Akkadian: pērūrūtu 'Hausmaus' OB on [AHw. 856]. In OB the term has been mostly known as a PN, but see now the OB ālu-text where it is found twice ([Joannès 306]) as well as the OB lexical list UET 7 93r. 6 (pe-ru-[r]u-tum = Sum. SI- KIL.GÁNA, v. [Sjöberg 1996 222]). Most of the later attestations also belong to omina and lexical lists (v. [Landsberger Fauna 106]). If Landsberger is correct in assuming *pēru (< *paʔr-) as the original form of the term, -ē- < *-aʔ- is irregular. It is curious to note, however, that Landsberger himself transcribes it as pirūrūtu with a short -i- (indeed, no explicit e-spelling seems to be known).
Eblaitic: ba-ra-tum /paʔratum, pāratum/ = NIN.PÉS̆ [MEE 4 0297]. Identified with the present root in [Sjöberg Ebla 14], cf. also [Kreb. 34].
Arabic: faʔr-, fem. faʔr-at- 'rat; souris' [BK 2 529], [Fr. III 309], [Lane 2324], [LA V 42] (v. [Hommel 336]).
Amharic: färfär 'a kind of field mouse' [K 2290]. The reduplicated shape of the Amh. term may be due to conta- mination with färäffärä 'to break into small pieces' unless the verbal root is derived from the faunal term (cf. [Nöldeke Beiträge 109]).
Gafat: ũfʷǝrä 'souris, rat' [LGaf. 172].
Harari: fūr 'mouse, rat' [LHar. 63] (also fuʔur [ibid. 60]).
Gurage: End. Enm. Gyt. fuʔur, Cha. Eža Muh. Msq. fur, Sel. ufr, Wol. Zwy. ufur, Gog. Sod. äfur 'mouse, rat' [LGur. 226].
Notes: Cf. possibly Amh. faro 'stone marten, animal about the size of a cat which makes burrows, has black and white fur, a long tail and a pointed snout' [K 2276] (with a meaning shift). Comparison to Arb. birr- 'souris des champs' [BK 1 103], [Fr. I 101], [Lane 177], [LA IV 54] proposed in [CHVAL I 36] to support a reconstruction with *ṗ does not seem very convicing on phonetic grounds. Cf. Hbr. la-ḥăparpārōt in Is 2.20 (difficult context, pa- ralleled by ʕăṭallēpīm 'bats'), to be read laḥpōr pērōt accor- ding to Codex Leningradensis. This obscure word is traditionally rendered as 'shrew', 'mole' etc. (v. [KB 341]); could it be re- lated to the present root but contaminated with Hbr. and Sem. verbal root ḥpr 'to dig'? Note that Hbr. pB. ʕprprym 'species of bat' quoted [ibid.] in connection with ḥ. is not found in the available dictionaries (ХОТЯ ЛЕВИ WTM НАДО ПОСМОТРЕТЬ, КОНЕЧНО!). [Kreb. 34]: Ebl., Arb.; [LGur. 226]: Gur., Eth., Arb., Akk.
