argamannu

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Akkadian 𒅈𒂵𒈠𒉡 (argamannu).

Noun

argamannu (uncountable)

1. A red-purple dye.
   • 2006, Stefan Zawadzki, Garments of the Gods: Studies on the Textile Industry and the Pantheon of Sippar According to the Texts from the Ebabbar Archive, Volume 1:

     The least frequently used dye was argamannu, which was also red and probably produced a shade of blue-purple, although different from that of takiltu.

2. A cloth of this color, often woolen.

Synonyms

• argaman

Akkadian

Etymology

Unknown.

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ar.ɡaˈman.nu/

Noun

argamannu m (Standard Babylonian, Neo-Babylonian, Neo-Assyrian, Boghazkeui)

1. red purple
   • 8th century BCE, Tiglath-Pileser III, Royal inscription 35

     biltu maddattu kaspu hurāṣu annaku parzillu mašku pīru šinnu pīru takiltu argamannu lubuštu birmu kitû ibilu nāqāte eli kânu

     I imposed upon them tribute (and) payment of silver, gold, tin, iron, elephant hide(s), ivory, blue-purple (and) red-purple garments, multi-colored linen garments, camels, (and) she-camels.

   1. (later) red purple wool
2. (Boghazkeui) tribute

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒋠𒍝𒆳𒋛𒀀 (SIG₂.ZA.GIN₃.SA₅) 𒍝𒆳𒋛𒀀 (ZA.GIN₃.SA₅)	𒅈𒂵𒈠𒉡 (ar-ga-ma-nu) 𒅈𒂵𒎙𒉡 (ar-ga-man-nu)

Alternative forms

• argawannu

Descendants

• Neo-Babylonian: Neo-Assyrian: 𒋠𒍝𒆳𒋛𒀀 (argawannu)
  • → Aramaic:
    • Classical Syriac: ܐܪܓܘܢܐ (ʾargəwānā, “purple”)
    • Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַרְגְּוָונָא (“purple”)
    • → Hebrew: אַרְגְּוָן (ʾargǝwɔn, “purple”)
    • → Arabic: أرجوان (ʾarjuwān, ʾurjuwān, “purple”)
      • Andalusian Arabic: أرجوان
        • → Spanish: arjorán (“Judas tree”)
      • → Middle Armenian: արճուան (arčuan)
      • → Persian: ارجوان (orjovân)
        • → Ottoman Turkish: ارجوان (ercüvân)
          • → Serbo-Croatian: adžùvān / аџу̀ва̄н (“young man, lover”)
    • → Proto-Iranian:
      • Middle Persian: ʾlgwkʾn' (argawān, “purple”)
        • Persian: ارغوان (arğavân, arğovân, “purple; Judas tree”)
          • → Georgian: არღავანი (arɣavani)
          • → Gujarati: અરગવાની (aragvānī)
          • → Urdu: ارغوان (arğawān, “red-purple; a plant”)
          • Kurdish:
            • → Northern Kurdish: erxewan (“purple; Judas tree”)
            • → Central Kurdish: ئەرخەوان (erxewan, “purple; Judas tree”)
          • → Middle Armenian: եղրեւանի (eġrewani, “lilac”)
            • Armenian: եղրեւանի (eġrewani)
          • → Ottoman Turkish: ارغوان (ergavân, erguvân)
            • Turkish: erguvan
            • → Albanian: jargavan
            • → Romanian: iergovan, iorgovan
            • → Serbo-Croatian: jȍrgovān / јо̏ргова̄н (“lilac”)
              • → Hungarian: orgovány
              • → Slovak: orgován (“lilac”)
      • Pashto: ارغوان (arğawān, “red-purple; a plant”)
      • Sogdian: [script needed] (ʾrγwʾn /⁠arγawān⁠/, “purple”)
• → Hebrew: אַרְגָּמָן (ʾargɔmɔn, “purple, red-purple [of garment]”)
  • → English: argaman
• → Hittite: 𒅈𒄰𒈠𒀸 (/⁠arkammas⁠/, “tribute”) (probably)
• → Ugaritic: 𐎀𐎗𐎂𐎎𐎐 (ảrgmn, “purple”)

References

• “argamannu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], volume 1, A, part 2, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1968