Number: 2347
Proto-Semitic: *ʕawp-
Meaning: bird
Ugaritic: ʕp 'ave, volátil' [DLU 84]. // The only secure attestation is 1.22 I 11: km tdd ʕnt ṣd // tštr ʕpt šmm 'when ʕnt started to hunt // to lie in wait for the birds of the sky'. Cf. also the fragmentary passage 1.18 IV 42 (wh̊lḳ ʕpmm 'let the birds perish!').
Phoenician: ʕpt 'flier; bird' [T 254], [Krah. 384]. // Not very reliable. Supposed to be found in KAI 10.5 (hʕpt zhb) 'golden ʕ.', as part of decoration of an altar (cf. the translation 'winged disk' and discussion in [HJ 878], [Gibson 97]). Here may also belong lʕpt 'against the fying ones!' In Arslan Tash I.19 (cf. [Gibson 87]).
Hebrew: ʕōp 'everything that flies' [KB 801]; pB. 'bird, fowl' [Ja. 1055]. // Together with ṣippōr, one of the main general terms for bird in Hebrew, used mostly as collective. Sometimes applyed to flying beings other than birds (šäräṣ hāʕōp 'flying insects'). // The importance of this semantic aspect of ʕ. (for the present authors, obviously a secondary development) is certainly overestimated in scholarly literature.
Biblical Aramaic: ʕōp 'bird' [KB 1756]. // In Da 7.6 (description of the winged panther: gappīn ʔarbaʕ dī-ʕōp ʕal-gabbah 'four wings of a bird on its back') and 2.38 (ʕōp šǝmayyā 'birds of the sky', together with bǝnē ʔănāšā 'men' and ḥēwat bārā 'wild beasts').
Judaic Aramaic: ʕōp (det. ʕōpā) 'bird, fowl' [Ja. 1055], [Levy WTM III 628]; ʕōp 'bird, fowl' [Sok. 399]. // Sam. ʕwp 'bird' [Tal 627].
Syrian Aramaic: ʕawpā 'aves' [Brock. 517], [PS 2836].
Arabic: ʕawf- 'coq; sorte d'oiseau' [BK 2 408], [TA XXIV 191] (cf. [LA 1956 38 259]).
Geʕez (Ethiopian): ʕof 'fowl, bird' [LGz. 78].
Tigre: ʕof 'oiseau' [LH 478], ʕayfot 'hoopoe' [ibid. 482].
Tigrai (Tigriñña): ʕuf 'ucello; fortuna' [Bass. 715].
Amharic: wäf, wof 'bird' [K 1598].
Harari: ūf 'bird' [LHar. 20].
Gurage: Sod. of, Muh. õf, Zwy. ũf, Sel. ūf, Cha. Eža Msq. Gog. ãfʷ, End. Enm. Gyt. ā̃fʷ, Wol. ũfʷ, Sod. wof 'bird' [LGur. 20].
Notes: The Arb. parallel quoted above is almost totally neglected in scholarly literature; instead, comparison with the verbal root ʕyf 'tirer de bons ou de mauvais augures du vol, des cris ou des noms des oiseaux ou de l'endroit où ils s'abattent' [BK 2 422] is very widespread. // The verbal root *ʕwp 'to fly' is obviously related: Ugr. ʕp 'volar' [DLU 84], Hbr. ʕwp 'to fly' [KB 800], Jud. ʕwp 'to fly' [Ja. 1055], Arb. ʕwf 'planer au-dessus de quelque chose (se dit d'un oiseau qui voltige et décrit des cercles au-dessus de l'eau ou d'une proie, avec l'intention de se précipiter dessus' [BK 2 408], Gez. ʕofa 'fly' [LGz. 78], Soq. ʕef(f) 'voler, monter' [LS 319]. The choice between postulating a denominal verb or a deverbal noun is difficult. In any case, the faunal term meaning 'bird' shoud be postulated already for PS. // [Fron. 294]: *ʕawp- 'volatili' (Gez., Arb. /augury/, Syr., Hbr.); [KB 801]: Hbr., Ugr., Arm., Arb. (ʕawf- 'augury with birds'), Gez., Tgr.; [Firmage 1154]: Hbr., Arm., Gez., Arb.; [DLU 84]: Ugr., Hbr., Syr., Gez., Arb.; [LGz. 78]: Gez., Eth., Arb. (ʕawf- 'omen'), Hbr., Ugr. (also verbal roots).
