Bibliotheca Polyglotta

▪ Among the two values in the MSA D-stem raǧǧala, [v1] ‘to comb (hair)’ is prob. secondary, based on [v2] with the original caus. meaning of *‘to let (hair) fall down freely’. The latter meaning seems in its turn to be derived from ↗^†RǦL_8 ‘set free with its mother’ (said of a suckling), which with all likelihood is based on ↗¹riǧl ‘foot’. The chain of semantic development can thus be imagined as follows: *‘foot > newly born (foal, etc.), managing/strong enough to stand on its own feet and run around freely, uncontrolled > to “release” the hair, let it fall down freely’. The value ‘to comb’ is a further development, as curly hair often needs to be treated with a comb in order to hang down freely. See also ↗^†RǦL_9 ^†raǧil~raǧl~raǧal ‘somewhat curly (hair)’.
▪ The underlying idea of *‘set free, spreading freely, spontaneously, etc.’ can be found also in other items from the same root, such as ↗²riǧl ‘swarm (esp. of locusts)’, ↗³riǧl ‘common purslane’ (< *‘spreading freely’), ↗ĭrtaǧala ‘to improvise, extemporize’.
▪ …

hist

▪ (Hava1899:) ^†raǧil, raǧl ‘somewhat curly (hair)’, ^†raǧal (pl. ʔarǧāl, raǧālà) ‘having curly hair’, ^†raǧila (a, raǧal) ‘to be curly (hair)’; ^†raǧǧala ‘to comb (the hair); to comfort s.o.’, ^†mirǧal ‘comb’, ^†muraǧǧal ‘combed; hence also: variegated (garment)’
▪ ...

cogn

▪ No immediate cognates in Sem or outside, but ultimately based on ↗¹riǧl.
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disc

▪ See above, section CONC.
▪ ...

west

–

deriv

For other values attached to the root, cf. ↗¹riǧl, ↗²riǧl, ↗³riǧl, ↗raǧul (with ↗ruǧūlaẗ), ↗ĭrtaǧala, and ↗mirǧal, as well as, for the whole picture, root entry ↗√RǦL.

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