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Nostratic etymology :

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Eurasiatic: *KUmV
Meaning: a k. of insect
Borean: Borean
Indo-European: *kem- ? (cf. also *kamAr- 434)
Altaic: *kumi ( ~ -o-,-i̯u-) (cf. also *ki̯uma 847, *kajamV 700)
Uralic: *kumVḷV ~ *kamVḷV (by Redei confused with *kupla 'bubble')
Eskimo-Aleut: *kumaɣ
Chukchee-Kamchatkan: Chuk. *kǝmʁǝ 'worm, grass flea'; *qujmǝ-; *kĕmeke
Comments: Most probably more than one root, but with a great deal of confusion. In Esk. also *quma 'threadworm'.
References: ND 887 *k[u]mV(ḷV) 'stinging insect' (Alt. *kumi : Ur. : SH).
nostret-meaning,nostret-prnum,nostret-ier,nostret-alt,nostret-ura,nostret-esk,nostret-chuk,nostret-notes,nostret-reference,

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Indo-European etymology :

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Proto-IE: *kam- / -e-
Nostratic etymology: Nostratic etymology
Meaning: bumble-bee, earth-bee
Slavic: *čьmelь; *komārъ, *komārь etc.
Baltic: *kam-u-s, *kam-an-iā̃, -un-iā̃, -en-iā̃ f.
Germanic: *xum-l-ō f., *xuml-a- m.
Russ. meaning: насекомое (шмель, земляная пчела)
References: WP I 389
piet-prnum,piet-meaning,piet-slav,piet-balt,piet-germ,piet-rusmean,piet-refer,

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Vasmer's dictionary :

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Word: шмель,
Near etymology: род. п. шмеля́, диал. чмель, севск. (Преобр.), ще́мель, псковск. (Даль), укр. чмíль, род. п. чмеля́, джмiль, род. п. -я́, также чмола́ "шмель" (по аналогии слова бджола́), блр. чмель, витебск., словен. čmȇlj, šmȇlj, чеш. čmel, štmel, стар. ščmel, слвц. čmеl᾽, польск. czmiel, strzmiel, в.-луж. čmjеɫа, н.-луж. tśḿel.
Further etymology: Праслав. *čьmеl᾽ь связано чередованием гласных с komarъ (см. кома́р). Родственно лит. kamãnė "вид шмеля", kamìnė "дикая пчела", лтш. kamine, др.-прусск. саmus "шмель", др.-инд. саmаrás "Воs grunniens", д.-в.-н. humbal "шмель", далее -- лит. kimìnti "делать голос хриплым, глухим", kìmti, kìmstu "хрипнуть"; см. Зубатый, AfslPh 16, 387; Уленбек, РВВ 35, 174 и сл.; Бернекер I, 167; Траутман, ВSW 115 и сл.; Арr. Sprd. 352; М.--Э. 2, 149; Брюкнер 79; Торп 95; Соболевский, Лекции 137; Френкель, Lit. Wb. 212 (где сообщается также иное объяснение -- Ниеминена (LР 3, стр. 187 и сл.)). Формы на щ- объясняются как результат сближения со словом щемить; см. Аппель, РФВ 3, 88. Следует отклонить реконструкцию праформы *čьkmеlь, вопреки Агрелю (МО 8, 166). Фин. kimalainen "шмель, пчела", которое ранее охотно толковали как заимств. из праслав. (Н. Андерсон у Мi. ЕW 419), связано с фин. kimara "мед" и должно быть отделено от слова шмель; см. Калима, Мél. Мikkola 67 и сл.; Тойвонен, Еtуm. San. 1, 194; Ниеминен, там же.
Pages: 4,459
vasmer-general,vasmer-origin,vasmer-pages,

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Baltic etymology :

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Proto-Baltic: *kam-u-s, *kam-an-iā̃, -un-iā̃, -en-iā̃, -in-iā̃ f.
Meaning: bumble-bee
Indo-European etymology: Indo-European etymology
Lithuanian: kamãnē, dial. kamìnē, (Kvedarna) kamunē̃ `Mooshummel'
Lettish: kamane, kamene, kamine `Erdbiene, Hummel'
Old Prussian: camus `Hummel' V. 788
baltet-meaning,baltet-prnum,baltet-lith,baltet-lett,baltet-oprus,

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Germanic etymology :

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Proto-Germanic: *xumlō, *xumla-z
Meaning: an insect
IE etymology: IE etymology
Norwegian: dial. humla
Swedish: humla
Danish: humle
Middle English: hummelbē, homelbē, hummel f.
English: humble-beе
Middle Dutch: hommel, hōmel, hummel
Dutch: hommel f.
Middle Low German: hōmele, hōmelte, hummel(e)
Old High German: humbal m. (10.Jh.), humbalo m., humbala f. (11.Jh.)
Middle High German: humbel, hummel st. m. 'hummel'
German: Hummel f.
germet-meaning,germet-prnum,germet-norw,germet-swed,germet-dan,germet-mengl,germet-engl,germet-mdutch,germet-dutch,germet-mlg,germet-ohg,germet-mhg,germet-hg,

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Pokorny's dictionary :

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Number: 897
Root: kem-2
English meaning: to buzz
German meaning: `summen'
Material: Ai. camara- m. `bos grunniens';

    mhd. nhd. hummen, nhd. hummeln, holl. hommelen `summen', mengl. hummen, engl. hum ds., norw. humre `leise wiehern'; dazu ursprüngl. wohl auch ahd. humbal, mhd. humbel, hummel m. `Hummel', mnd. hummel f., engl. humble-bее, norw. mdartl. humla f. ds.;

    lit. kìmstu, kìmti `heiser werden', kìminti `die Stimme dumpf machen', kimùs `heiser, dumpflautend', kamãnė `Erdbiene', kamìnė `Feldbiene', lett. kamines f. pl. `Erdbienen, Hummeln', apr. camus `Hummel';

    slav. *čьmelь (ablautgleich mit Hummel) in russ. dial. čmelь usw, `Hummel, Erdbiene'; ksl. russ. komár usw. `Mücke' (ablautgleich mit lit. kamãnė).

References: WP. I 389, Trautmann 115 f.
Pages: 556
PIE database: PIE database
pokorny-root,pokorny-meaning,pokorny-ger_mean,pokorny-material,pokorny-ref,pokorny-pages,pokorny-piet,

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Altaic etymology :

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Proto-Altaic: *kumi ( ~ -o-,-i̯u-)
Nostratic: Nostratic
Meaning: a k. of insect
Russian meaning: вид насекомого
Turkic: *Kumɨr-
Mongolian: *kömörege
Tungus-Manchu: *kumke
Korean: *kǝ̀mɨ́i
Japanese: *kùmuâ
Comments: SKE 105, Lee 1958, 119, Martin 242, ОСНЯ 1, 309, АПиПЯЯ 290, Дыбо 9, Лексика 184. An expressive root: cf. *ki̯uma, *kajamV.
altet-prnum,altet-meaning,altet-rusmean,altet-turc,altet-mong,altet-tung,altet-kor,altet-jap,altet-reference,

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Turkic etymology :

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Proto-Turkic: *Kumɨr-
Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology
Meaning: ant
Russian meaning: муравей
Old Turkic: qumursɣa (OUygh.)
Turkish: komursɣa (dial.)
Tatar: qɨrmɨsqa
Middle Turkic: qumursxa (Pav. C.), qumursuɣa (AH)
Uzbek: qumursqa
Turkmen: Gumursɣa
Khakassian: xumusxa, xɨmɨsxa
Shor: qɨmɨrtaš, qumɨstaš
Oyrat: qomursqa
Halaj: Gumurɣāč
Yakut: kɨmɨrdaɣas
Tuva: qɨmɨsqajaq
Kirghiz: qumursqa
Kazakh: qumɨrsqa
Noghai: qumɨrsqa
Bashkir: qɨmɨrɵqa
Balkar: qumursxa, qumursqa, qumurčxa
Karaim: qumurstqa, qumurstqu
Salar: qumusqa, qomusqǝn
Kumyk: xomursɣa
Comments: EDT 628, VEWT 300, Лексика 183-184, ЭСТЯ 6, 140-141.
turcet-prnum,turcet-meaning,turcet-rusmean,turcet-atu,turcet-trk,turcet-tat,turcet-chg,turcet-uzb,turcet-trm,turcet-hak,turcet-shr,turcet-alt,turcet-khal,turcet-jak,turcet-tuv,turcet-krg,turcet-kaz,turcet-nogx,turcet-bas,turcet-blkx,turcet-krmx,turcet-sal,turcet-qum,turcet-reference,

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Mongolian etymology :

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Proto-Mongolian: *kömörege
Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology
Meaning: a k. of insect
Russian meaning: вид круглого червя (желто-розового цвета, величиной с ноготь человеческого пальца, живущего в печеночной области)
Written Mongolian: kömörege (МХТТТ)
Khalkha: xömrög
monget-prnum,monget-meaning,monget-rusmean,monget-wmo,monget-hal,

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Tungus etymology :

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Proto-Tungus-Manchu: *kumke
Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology
Meaning: louse
Russian meaning: вошь
Evenki: kumke; kumikēn 'insect'
Even: kumke; kumnilen 'name of a beetle'
Negidal: kumke
Literary Manchu: xelmeku, xelmexen 'spider'
Nanai: kuŋke (dial.)
Oroch: kume
Udighe: kumuge
Solon: xuŋkē; xumīxe 'ant'
Comments: ТМС 1, 430, 431, 481. -l- in Manchu is probably secondary (tabooistic contamination with xelme 'shadow').
tunget-prnum,tunget-meaning,tunget-rusmean,tunget-evk,tunget-evn,tunget-neg,tunget-man,tunget-nan,tunget-orc,tunget-ude,tunget-sol,tunget-reference,

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Korean etymology :

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Proto-Korean: *kǝ̀mɨ́i
Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology
Meaning: spider
Russian meaning: паук
Modern Korean: kǝmi
Middle Korean: kǝ̀mɨ́i
Comments: Nam 32, KED 84.
koret-prnum,koret-meaning,koret-rusmean,koret-phn,koret-ako,koret-reference,

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Japanese etymology :

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Proto-Japanese: *kùmuâ
Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology
Meaning: spider
Russian meaning: паук
Old Japanese: kum(w)o
Middle Japanese: kùmó
Tokyo: kúmo
Kyoto: kùmô
Kagoshima: kumó
Comments: JLTT 463.
japet-prnum,japet-meaning,japet-rusmean,japet-ajp,japet-mjp,japet-tok,japet-kyo,japet-kag,japet-comments,

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Eskimo etymology :

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Proto-Eskimo: *kumaɣ
Nostratic etymology: Nostratic etymology
Meaning: louse
Russian meaning: вошь
Proto-Yupik: *kumaɣ
Proto-Inupik: *kumaɣ
Comparative Eskimo Dictionary: 181
esqet-prnum,esqet-meaning,esqet-rmean,esqet-yup,esqet-inup,esqet-refer,

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Yupik etymology :

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Proto-Yupik: *kumaɣ
Eskimo etymology: Eskimo etymology
Meaning: louse
Russian Meaning: вошь
Sirenik: kúmǝx
Chaplino: kumák (ɣǝt), kúmaq*
Naukan: kúmak
Koniag (AAY): AP kumakiʁ- 'to look for lice, to delose'
Central Alaskan Yupik: kumakiʁ- 'to look for lice, to delose'
Egegik (Peripheral): kumak
Norton Sound (Peripheral): kumak
Comparative Eskimo Dictionary: 181
yupet-prnum,yupet-mean,yupet-rmean,yupet-sir,yupet-chap,yupet-nauk,yupet-koni,yupet-cay,yupet-egeg,yupet-nrts,yupet-ced,

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Inupik etymology :

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Proto-Inupik: *kųmąɣ
Eskimo etymology: Eskimo etymology
Meaning: louse
Russian meaning: вошь
Seward Peninsula Inupik: kumak
SPI Dialects: Imaq kúmak, W komąk* (āk, ait), KI kumak*
North Alaskan Inupik: kumak
NAI Dialects: B, Ingl komąk*
Western Canadian Inupik: kumak
WCI Dialects: Cor, M komąk*
Eastern Canadian Inupik: kumak, kumaʁuaq 'tiny land insect'
Greenlandic Inupik: kumak (kumak*)
Comparative Eskimo Dictionary: 181
inupet-prnum,inupet-meaning,inupet-rmean,inupet-spi,inupet-spis,inupet-nai,inupet-nais,inupet-wci,inupet-wcis,inupet-eci,inupet-gri,inupet-ced,

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Long-range etymologies :

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Borean (approx.) : KVMV
Meaning : a k. of insect
Eurasiatic : *KUmV
Afroasiatic : *ḳaml- (?)
Austric : PAN *kuma 'harmful insect' (not in B)
Amerind (misc.) : *ḳumpa 'fly' (R 284); *kama 'snake; worm' (R 660) ?
Reference : Peiros 1989, 129.
globet-meaning,globet-nostr,globet-afas,globet-austr,globet-amer,globet-reference,

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Afroasiatic etymology :

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Proto-Afro-Asiatic: *ḳaml- (?)
Meaning: louse, flea
Borean etymology: Borean etymology
Semitic: *ḳaml- ~ *ḳalm- 'louse'
Western Chadic: *ḳuma(l)- 'flea (of rats, dogs)' (?)
Central Chadic: *kwamal- 'red ant' (<Arb.?)
Notes: Scarce data. Cf. Dolg AAN 16. Cf. *ka/il(-m)- 'biting insect'.
afaset-meaning,afaset-prnum,afaset-sem,afaset-wch,afaset-cch,afaset-notes,

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Semitic etymology :

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Number: 166
Proto-Semitic: *ḳaml- ~ *ḳalm-
Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology
Meaning: louse
Eblaitic: ga-ma-tum = UH_ [MEE 4 1022]. Interpreted as /ḳalmatum/ 'pidocchio' in [Fron. Ebl. 177]. As rightly pointed out by Fronzaroli, a normalization /kalmatum/ is equally possible which would yield a form identi- cal to kalmatu which is well known from Akkadian (cf. below). This interpretation is adopted in [Civil Ebla 90]. For a tenta- tive interpretation of ga-na-du-um, another Ebl. correspondence to Sum. UH_ cf. No. ...
Aramaic: Anc. ḳml 'louse' [HJ 1013]. Hapax in KAI 222 A 31: ...wyšlḥn ʔlhn mn kl mh ʔkl bʔrpd wbʕmh [yʔkl p]m ḥwh wpm ʕḳrb wpm dbhh wpm nmrh wss wḳml ... 'And may the gods send everything which can eat against Arpad and his people! Let the snake's mouth eat, and the scorpion's mouth, and the bear's mouth, and the leopard's mouth as well as moth and louse...' (cf. [Fitzmyer 88-9] and especially [Tawil 61]).
Judaic Aramaic: ḳalmǝtā 'vermin' [Ja. 1378], [Levy WT II 363].
Syrian Aramaic: ḳalmā 'pediculus; animalculum frumento infestum' [Brock. 668], [PS 3635].
Arabic: ḳaml- 'poux', ḳummal- 'petites fourmis; petites sauterelles qui n'ont pas encore d'aile' [BK 2 816], [Fr. III 500] (also ḳamāl- 'pediculus'), [LA 11 568-9].
Epigraphic South Arabian: Sab. ḳmlt 'insect pests, locusts (?)' [SD 105]. Until recently this term was known from one inscription only, of doubtful authenticity (C 174/4: wl wgybhmw bn bn kl ḳmltm wtḫybm 'in order to protect them from every kind of pest and drought') but now it is attested also in MAFRAY-al-Bayḍāʔ 100/7 (cf. [Sima 129ff.] for details). Sab. ḳlm, ḳlmt 'insect pest, locusts (?)' [SD 105]. Qat. ḳlm 'Lausbefall' [Sima 131]. More details on the ESA forms see in [Sima 131ff.] (in par- ticular, the only Qat. attestation Bāfaqīh-Bāṭāyiʕ 7/2: bn kl ḳlmm 'from every harmful insect'). A related verbal form h-ḳlm 'to be ravaged (land) by insect pests' [SD 105] seems to be at- tested in S̆araf ad-Dīn 8/13 (not very reliable according to [Si- ma 131]).
Geʕez (Ethiopian): ḳʷǝmāl, ḳǝmāl 'louse' [LGz. 432].
Tigre: NUMBER 41 PROTO *mw/yt PRNUM 0 MEANING to die PSPEECH v AKK mâtu (Ass muātu) OAkk on [CAD M 421], [AHw 634] EBL AMO UGA mt [Aist 197] CAN AMARNA ti-mi-tu-na-nu 'you make us die' (impf.caus.suff.) [HJ 605], AMM ymtn (impf.3 pl.m.) [ibid.], PHO mt [T 204] PHN HBR mwt [KB 562] ARM SAM OLD OFF NAB PLM HTR mwt/myt [HJ 605-6], BIB mōt 'Tod' [KB deutsch 1734] BIB JUD mwt, myt [Ja 780]; [Sok 297] SYR mīt [Brock 378] NEW MND MUT [DM 263] ARA mwt [BK 2 1165] DIAL SAR SAB mwt [SD 89] GEZ mota [LGz 375] TGR motä [LH 134] TNA motä [Bass 100] AMH motä [K 304] GAF HAR EAST HAR mōta [LH 114], SEL mōtä, WOL motä, ZWY mūtä [LGur 435] CHA GUR SOD motä, GYE mōtä, CHA EZHA MUH MAS GOG mʷätä, END ENN mōdä [ibid.] MHR mōt [JM 275] HRS mōt 'to die, to be numb' [JH 92] JIB emyét 'to put to death' [JJ 176]; mít 'death' [ibid.] SOQ mī 'mort' [LS 237].

    Looks like a "pseudo-correction", with *-t understood as a feminine marker and the word "corrected" into masculine, possibly due to some mythological association AFR NOTES Usually reconstructed as *mwt; -y-, however, is clearly represented in part of ARM and MSA and therefore cannot be disregarded.

    [Fr 38]: *mawit- 'morto', mawt- 'morte' (GEZ, ARB, SYR, HBR, UGR, GEZ) ; [KB 562]: HBR, UGR, ARM, ARB, SAB, GEZ, TGR, AKK; [LGz 375]: HBR, UGR, ARM, ARB, SAB, GEZ, AKK, MHR ḳämlät id. [LH 237]. Note ḳomäl 'poux' [ibid.] (according to d'Abbadie).

Tigrai (Tigriñña): ḳumal id. [Bass. 288].
Amharic: ḳǝmal id. [K 700].
Gurage: Msq. Gog. Sod. ḳǝmal, Sel. Wol. ḳumal, Cha. Eža ḳǝmar, Gyt. ḳǝm_ār, Zwy. ḳǝmāy, Muh. ḳǝme, Enm. ʔǝ̃m_ār, End. ʔǝwān 'louse' [LGur. 481].
Notes: Cf. the verbal root *ḳml 'to grow mouldy, putrid, rotten': Syr. ḳǝmal 'maciem passus est; mucorem duxit' [Brock. 672], Arb. ḳml 'être couvert de points noirs (se dit de la tige de certains végétaux)' [BK 2 816], [Fr. III 500], [LA XI 568]. Hbr. ḳml (at- tested in Is 33.9 and 19.6) may also belong here, especially if the translation 'to be infested with lice' is accepted (an alternative interpretation 'to become black, blacken' is preferred in [KB 1108-9]). Cf. Mnd. ḳiluma 'corruption, putrefaction' [DM 410]. Phonetically and semantically similar forms with non-empha- tic k in Akkadian and Aramaic (according to [Zimmern 52], Ara- maic forms are Akkadisms) are put in connection with the present root by many scholars (v. references below; for a sceptical eva- luation of this approach see [Sima 131], [HJ 513]): Akk. kalmatu 'parasite, louse (on animals, plants and human beings)' OAkk. on [CAD k 86], [AHw. 426]. In Old Akkadian as a proper name only. The oldest attestations may be found in the OA and OB letters CCT 2 30:29 and TCL 17 2:21 (both describe grain which is kalmatam lapit/laptat 'affected by k.'). References from Mari are collected and analysed in [Lion-Michel 720-2]. Se- veral varieties of k. are found in lexical lists; Anc. klmh 'parasite, louse' [HJ 513]. Supposed to be attes- ted in KAI 222 A 31 (cf. above) where kl mh (usually understood as 'everything that') is thought to represent klmh (v. espe- cially [Tawil 60-2]). This approach is rejected in [Fitzmyer 88-9] ("but that is not to be accepted") without sufficient ar- gumentation. Jud. kalmā, kalmǝtā 'vermin' [Ja. 645], [Levy WT I 367], [Levy WTM 341], klmh 'vermin' [Sok. 261]; Sam. klmym 'gnat' [Tal 391]. Hbr. kinnām and related forms are hardly connected with the present root in spite of the common opinion, v. No. ... . [Fron. 297]: *ḳalm-(at-) 'pidocchio' (Gez., Arb., Syr., Hbr. /ḳml/, Akk. /kalmatu/); [Sima 131]: ESA, Arb., Gez., Hbr. (ḳāmal; apparently a verbal form for which see above), Arm.; [LGz. 432]: Gez., Eth., Arb., ESA (ḳlmt); Hbr., Arm. (also kalmǝtā), Syr. (ḳalmā), "related to Hbr. kinnām, Soq. konem, Mhr. konem"; [Brock. 668]: Syr., Jud. (ḳalmǝtā, kalmǝtā), Arb., ESA (ḳmlt), Gez., Akk. (kalmatu), Hbr. (kinnām), Soq. (konem).
semet-proto,semet-prnum,semet-meaning,semet-ebl,semet-arm,semet-jud,semet-syr,semet-ara,semet-sar,semet-gzz,semet-tgr,semet-tgy,semet-amh,semet-gur,semet-notes,

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West Chadic etymology :

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Proto-WChadic: *ḳuma(l)-
Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology
Meaning: 'flea (of rats, dogs)'
Hausa: ḳùmā́ (unless <Arab)
Mupun: kuma (<Hs?)
wchet-prnum,wchet-meaning,wchet-hsa,wchet-gwn,

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Central Chadic etymology :

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Proto-CChadic: *kwamal-
Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology
Meaning: 'ant'
Buduma=Yedina: komāli
cchet-prnum,cchet-meaning,cchet-bud,

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