Bibliotheca Polyglotta

▪ A look at the semantic spectrum covered by Sem ḤMS suggests that there are three values that may form the basis from which the modern values developed: (1) *ʻviolence, severity; anger’, (2) *ʻto fry’, and (3) *ʻto irritate, excite’. All three are attested in ClassAr (see below, section HIST) and often represented by identical lexemes, so that one is tempted to assume a shared etymology. But although a common origin has been suggested by earlier research, there are also indications that would let it seem to be prudent – for the moment, at least – to keep the three strings apart. – See below, section DISC.
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hist

▪ In ClassAr, all 3 values that may have contributed to the semantics of ḥamasa and derivatives can be found: for (1) *ʻviolence, severity; anger’, cf., e.g., the expression ^†sanaẗ ḥamsāʔᵘ ʻunfruitful, severe year’ and the vb.s V ^†taḥammasa ʻto feign rebellion, rigour’, VIII ^†ĭḥtamasa ʻto fight together (cocks)’ and the rare XII ^†ĭḥmawmasa ʻto be angry’; for (2) *ʻto fry’, cf., ^†ḥamīs ʻoven’, vb. I (tr.) ^†ḥamasa (u, ḥams) ʻto fry (meat)’, II ^†ḥammasa and IV ʔaḥmasa ʻto heat (a medicine upon the fire)’; for (3) *ʻto irritate, excite’, cf. vb.s I ^†ḥamasa (u, ḥams) ʻto irritate s.o.’, II ^†ḥammasa, and IV ʔaḥmasa ʻto irritate; to excite’ – all attestations from Hava1899.
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cogn

▪ DRS 9 (2010) #ḤMS-1 Hbr *ḥāmas ‘traiter violemment, faire violence à’, EmpAram ḥms ‘violence’, JP ḥᵊmas ‘user de violence’, Ar ḥamisa ‘être ferme, solide, courageux’, SAr ʔḥmš ‘dur, fort au combat’. -?2 Ar ḥamasa ‘faire frire (de la viande)’, ḥammasa ‘torréfier’, ʕOmAr məḥmās, Mhr məḥmēs, Ḥrs məḥmās, Jib múḥmus, məḥmus ‘poêle à griller le café’; Tña ḥamäsä ‘griller, rissoler (grain, farine)’. – Ar ḥamasa ‘irriter’, ʕOmAr mətḥámməs ‘irrité et désireux de vaincre’, Jib aḥmís ‘exciter, encourager’, Mhr ḥəmūs, ḥōməs ‘piquer au vif’. ? – Jib ḥõs, oḥõs ‘moudre’. -3-6 […]
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disc

▪ The authors of DRS set (their #ḤMS-1) *ʻviolence, severity; anger’ apart from *ʻto fry’ and *ʻto irritate, excite’ (treated together as #ḤMS-2), but indicate (by a question mark) that they are not sure whether or not it is justified to make that distinction; they also remark, explicitly: »Il n’est pas impossible qu’il y ait lieu de rapprocher les notions de violence, d’irritation et de cuisson.« If the values are related, is then ʻviolent treatment, firmness; courage’ primary to ʻto fry, roast; to irritate, excite, encourage’, or is it the other way round? Theoretically, a dependence on a primary ʻto fry, roast’ along the line *ʻto fry, roast > (fig.) to stir, irritate (violently > to treat violently) > to incite, excite > (fig.) enthusiasm, zeal, courage’ is not unconceivable. On the other hand, if ʻviolence, severity’ was the original value (see, e.g., the Hbr and Aram cognates as given by DRS sub #ḤMS-1), then the most direct reflections of this notion would prob. be the values given in section HIST for option (1); in this case, ʻzeal; courage’ would be metaphorical use, referring to the “firmness” of the mind, a “strong” will, etc., while *ʻto roast’ would be a specific kind of *ʻviolent treatment’.
▪ Meanwhile, semantic vicinity of the obsol. Ar values ^†ʻto fry, roast’ to ↗ḤMṢ ʻto roast’¹ and of ^†ʻto irritate’ to ↗ḤMŠ ʻto irritate, excite; to be angry’ may suggest the influence of other roots, or even distinct etymologies that would need separate treatment. For *ʻviolence, severity’, the authors of DRS suggest to compare their entries #ḤMSN, #ʕMṢ, and #ḤMṢ.
▪ In any case, all three Ar roots – ḤMS, ḤMŠ, and ḤMṢ – may be extensions from an earlier 2-radical nucleus *ḤM‑ ʻheat, fever’, cf. ↗ḤMː (ḤMM). Thus, these roots may, ultimately, be akin not only to items such as ↗ḥamām ʻbath’ and ↗ḥummà ʻfever’, but also to ↗ʔaḥmarᵘ ʻred, brown’ (< *ḤM-R?) and, perh., even ↗faḥm ʻcoal’ (< *P-ḤM?).
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1. DRS : cf. also #ḤMṢ(Ṣ) and #ḤMŚ.

west

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deriv

►ḥammasa, vb. II, to fill with enthusiasm (s.o.): D-stem, caus.
►taḥammasa, vb. V, 1 to get heated, worked up; 2ato be excited; b to be enthusiastic (li‑ about), have a passion (li‑ for); c to advocate fervently (li‑ s.th.); d to be overzealous (fī in s.th.): Dt-stem, intrans., self-ref.

►^BP#3536ḥamās, n., enthusiasm, rapture; zeal; elan, fighting spirit: vn. I. – See also s.v.
►ḥamāsaẗ, n.f., enthusiasm, fire, ardor, fervor, zeal; valor, bravery, heroism: vn. I | al-Ḥamāsaẗ, n.f., the Hamasa (a famous collection of Arabic poems)
►ḥamāsī, adj., 1 enthusiastic, ardent, fiery, zealous, enraptured; 2 enrapturing, stirring, rousing: nisba formation, from ḥamās and/or ḥamāsaẗ.
►ʔaḥmasᵘ, f. ḥamsāʔᵘ, pl. ḥums, adj., 1a unflinching, tenacious, valiant; b strenuous, zealous; c enthusiastic: ʔaFʕaLᵘ formation for colours and physical/mental disorders etc.
►taḥammus, n., unflinching zeal, enthusiasm (li‑ for), fanaticism: vn. V.
►mutaḥammis, 1 adj., enthusiastic, ardent, fiery, zealous; – 2 (pl. ‑ūn), n., ardent follower, fanatic adherent, fanatic; fan (li‑ e.g., of a sport, of a trend in art): PA V.

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