On the root NḪY in Ancient South Arabian inscriptions: an etymological and contextual study

This article discusses the meanings of the Ancient South Arabian lexemes derived from the root NḪY, which appear in circumscribed yet diverse epigraphic contexts. Because of such diversification, distant semantic values have been proposed in previous literature for these lexemes, leading to an assumption of the existence of homograph NḪY roots in ASA. One is related to the penitential contexts of the so-called 'confession' inscriptions in the Minaic and Amiritic languages; these texts draw their appellation from the current interpretation of the verb nḫy at the T-stem as 'confess', based on a parallel with Ethiopic. The other one refers to the hydraulic contexts of some Sabaic and Qatabanic inscriptions, attesting to the causative stem of the verb nḫy, in relation to water management issues and to the word mnḫy, which has been alternatively analysed as a preposition loci ('towards') or a noun indicating an irrigation device (e.g. a canal). Recently, the noun nḫy in the formula introducing names of kings and deities in some Ethio-Sabaic inscriptions, with one possible instance also in Hadramitic, was interpreted as attesting the 'guidance' or 'instruction' of such authoritative figures. Besides the diversification of the contexts of use, there is no consensus on the etymological comparisons of NḪY. By means of an analysis of the available evidence on this root and the reconsideration of previous interpretations, this paper aims to verify the possibility of reconciling those lexemes within one semantic value and of considering NḪY to be an Ancient South Arabian isogloss.