Arabic-L:LING:Iraq and Venice etymologies

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 22 Feb 2007
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject:Iraq and Venice etymologies
1) Subject:Iraq etymology

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1)
Date: 22 Feb 2007
From:maabdelw at purdue.edu
Subject:Iraq and Venice etymologies

  Multiple explanations
Some say it dates back to the Sumerian city of Uruk(or Erech) which is
mentioned in Gelgamesh Epic.Others believe it comes from Aramaic  
language,
meaning"the land along the banks of the rivers".Others say it is a  
reference
to the root of a palm tree,as they are numerous in Iraq.Others say it  
comes
from the Arabic word"Areeq",meaning noble in origin or deep-rooted in  
history
because it was the cradle of the Sumerian,Akkadian,Babylonian and  
Assyrian
civilizations and cultures.Under the Persian Sassanid Dynasty, Iraq was
called" Erak Arabi", referring to a region which was part of the  
south western
region of the Persian Empire.Al-Iraq, was the name used by the Arabs  
since the
6th century.
2.Regardig the Arabic name "Al-Bundiqiyya" for Venice, I believe it  
was just
a wrong translation of the word (Albondiga,or albondigas) which means
meatballs, because Venice was famous(and maybe still so) for its cooked
meatballs.

M. wali

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2)
Date: 22 Feb 2007
From:"Robert Ratcliffe" <ratcliffe at tufs.ac.jp>
Subject:Iraq etymology

Dear muhammad,
I'm convinced. I also am always eager to emphasize that the "consonantal
root" notion is first and foremost merely a lexicographical  
convenience. The
fact that two words are listed under the same "root" doesn't necessarily
mean that they are related either synchronically or etymologically.

Your post does make me wonder, though, if there is a Semitic or Sumerian
etymology for Erech or Uruk.

Best

-RR

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End of Arabic-L:  22 Feb 2007