▪ [v1] : Although the semantic field built around the idea of ʻfantasy, imagination’ in Ar is rather broad and diversified and thus points to a long history and the genuineness of the root, the corresponding Ar items remain without obvious cognates in Sem. The picture changes slightly if we regard ʻfantasy, imagination’ (
DRS #ḪYL-2) and ʻmole, birthmark; patch, beauty spot’ (
DRS #ḪYL-4) as possibly belonging together, both sharing the basic idea of *ʻappearing, becoming visible’; moreover, in older times, birthmarks were often seen as omina, thus evoking a certain vision.
1
Should the two be akin, then the Ar lexemes would perh. get at least one relative in Akk, and ²
ḫāl ʻmole, birthmark; patch, beauty spot’ could be tentatively interpreted as *ʻmark\sign appearing, becoming visible (on the face or skin of a newborn child)’, or the complex of ʻfantasy, imagination’ could be regarded as derived from ²
ḫāl, a fantasy or imagination appearing
like a mole or a beauty spot on the face\skin of a newborn. But this is unsecured speculation that cannot build on harder data than the mere possibility of semantic dependence. The Akk “relative” signifying ʻblack mole (on the face and body); black spot (a disease of barley)’ may also be unrelated: while von Soden (on whom the data given in
DRS are built) gives it as Akk
ḫālu,
CAD quotes it as Akk
ḫalû (from oBab on), in which case it would belong together with Ar
†ḥalaʔ ʻpustules upon the lips (Hava1899) / boutons aux lèvres à la suite de la fièvre (BK1860)’ rather than with ²
ḫāl.
2
▪ [v2] : The modern use of
ʔaḫyal for ʻgreen woodpecker’ may be dependent on [v1], more specifically on ²
ḫāl in the sense of ʻpatch, beauty spot’, as the bird has white spots on some of its feathers (
DRS #ḪYL-4). In older times, the word signified some (less specified) kind of bird that may have been called
ʔaḫyal on account of its association with evil omen. Others explain it as an epithet based on
taḫayyul, thus meaning *ʻthe one who feels self-important, conceited, the arrogant one’. – The word may have a cognate in a Hbr hapax. MilitarevKogan2005 (
SED II #107) tentatively reconstruct protSem *
ḫ˅l‑ ‘kind of bird’, adding that the reconstruction is little reliable, due to scarce attestation.
▪ [v3] : Ar
ḫayl for ʻhorses’ stands isolated within Sem (Jib
aḫyel ‘faire galoper’ could be an Arabism). Given that it cannot be connected to [v1] or [v2], it may belong to the complex of *ʻpower, strength’ (cf.
DRS #ḪYL-5 in section COGN, below), otherwise realised in Ar by ↗√ḤW/YL (< protSem *
ḥayl‑/*
ḫayl‑ ‘strength’ – Kogan2015: 118 #12), rather than to √ḪYL or √ḪWL.
3
According to Kogan (ibid., fn. 340),
ḫayl ‘horses; riders’ has been interpreted already quite often as belonging together with ‘strength, power, might’ (cf. Marrassini 1971: 59).
▪ …