šīpātum

Akkadian

𒋠𒇻 (šīpāt immerim)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ŝVp- (“tuft of hair”). Cognate with Arabic شَعْفة (šaʕfa, “a lock of hair”) and Biblical Hebrew שָׂפָם (śɔp̄ɔ́m, “moustache”), probably formed from שָׂפָה (“lip”) +‎ ־ם (-m, suffix). Compare also Arabic صُوف (ṣūf, “wool”).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ʃiːˈpaː.tum/

Noun

šīpātum f pl (from Old Akkadian on)

1. wool, fleece

   𒊺 𒉌𒄑 𒅇 𒅆𒉺𒌈 [ûm šamnum u šīpātum] ― ŠE I₃.GIŠ u₃ ši-pa-tum ― grain, oil and wool

Alternative forms

• šīpātu (non-mimated)
• šūpātu (occasionally)
• šāptum (Old Assyrian)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒋠 (SIG₂) 𒋠𒄭𒀀 (SIG₂.ḪI.A) 𒋠𒎌 (SIG₂.MEŠ)	𒅆𒉺𒀀𒌈 (ši-pa-a-tum) 𒋗𒉺𒀀𒌈 (šu-pa-a-tum) 𒊭𒀖𒌈 (ša-ap₂-tum) (Old Assyrian) 𒅆𒉺𒌈 (ši-pa-tum) 𒅆𒉺𒀀𒌓 (ši-pa-a-tu₂)

References

• “šipātu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “šīpātu(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag