Bābilim

Akkadian

Etymology

The ancient interpretation by Akkadian speakers of the city name as bāb (“gate”) +‎ ilim (“of god”) is likely a folk etymology, later translated into Sumerian and written 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (ka₂ dig̃ir-ra^ki /kan dig̃irak/, literally “gate of god”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbaː.bi.lim/

Proper noun

Bābilim

Babylon

Alternative forms

Bābili (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings
Sumerograms
𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (KA₂.DINGIR.RA^ki) 𒁷𒌁𒆠 (TIN.TIR^ki) 𒂊𒆠 (E^ki) 𒉣𒆠 (NUN^ki)

Descendants

→ Ancient Greek: Βαβυλών (Babulṓn)
- Greek: Βαβυλών (Vavylón), Βαβυλώνα (Vavylóna)
- Latin: Babylōn
- Russian: Вавилон (Vavilon)
→ Aramaic:
- Classical Syriac: ܒܒܠ‎ (bāḇel)
- Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: בָבֶל‎ (bāḇel)
- Mandaic: ࡁࡀࡁࡉࡋ‎ (bābīl)
- → Arabic: بَابِل‎ (bābil)
- → Middle Persian: bʾbyl
  - Persian: بابل‎ (bâbel)
→ Egyptian: bbr
→ Hebrew: בָּבֶל‎ (bavél, bāḇel)
→? Old Armenian: բաւիղ (bawił, “labyrinth”), բաւիլ (bawil), բաւեղ (baweł)
→ Old Persian: 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢𐏁 (bābiruš)
→ Sumerian: 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (ka₂ dig̃ir-ra^ki /kan dig̃irak/, literally “gate of god”) (calque)

References

Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2012) , “Babylon”, in Places and peoples in Central Asia and in the Graeco-Roman Near East: A multilingual gazetteer compiled for the Serica Project from select Pre-Islamic sources, page 7a
Muss-Arnolt, William (1905) , “Bābilu”, in A Concise Dictionary of the Assyrian Language, volume I, Berlin: Reuther & Reichard, pages 144–145

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