Variation of weak roots. § 58. Weak roots vary a good deal in their weak letters. Thus חמם‎,‎ חום‎,‎ חמי‎,‎ יהם‎ (to which is added another secondary form חמת‎) are essentially modifications only of the same fundamental root, which means "hot". In particular, roots עו׳‎ and עע׳‎ are very closely related. Thus also in Syriac they very readily change into one another: the substantive belonging to פדד‎ "to err" (Perf. ܦܱܕ‎, Impf. ܢܷܦܷ݁ܕ‎) is ܦܱܘܕ݁ܐ‎, as if from פוד‎; and along with the frequently occurring חנן‎ "to pity" חון‎ is found (Perf. ܚܳܢ‎, Impf. ܢܚܽܘܢ‎), and with כפף‎ "to bend", כוף‎, &c.

Roots med. gem. § 59. Forms med. gem. in Syriac attain like weight with that of the strong forms, by doubling not the second radical, but the first, when it is possible, i. e. when a prefix ending in a vowel precedes it. Thus from גזז‎ "to shear" ܐܱܓܷ݁ܙ‎ aggez (answering to ܐܱܘܜܶܠ‎); ܐܷܓ݁ܘܿܙ‎ eggoz (= ܐܷܩܜܘܿܠ‎); ܢܷܓ݁ܙܽܘܢ‎ negzūn, properly negge̊zūn (= ܢܷܩܜܠܽܘܢ‎); ܬܱܚ̈ܒ݂ܳܢ‎ "you (fem. pl.) love" (= ܬܱܩ̈ܜܠܴܢ‎, from חבב‎); ܡܱܚܡܳܐ‎ "boiler" (from חמם‎ "to warm"; ܡܱܥܠܴܐ‎, ܡܱܥܱܠܬ݁ܐ‎, ܡܱ̈ܥܴܠܷܐ‎ "entrance", &c.

Yet in some nouns we find the general Semitic method,—i. e. the method of either directly or virtually doubling the third radical, even with the prefixes mentioned: thus ܡܚܰܜܳܐ‎ "needle" (not ܡܱܚܜܳܐ‎); ܡܓ݂ܶܢܳܐ‎ or ܡܓ݂ܰܢܳܐ‎ (East-Syrian) "shield"; ܡܜܰܠܬ݂ܐ‎ "a booth" (me̊ṭalthā, properly me̊ṭalle̊thā), pl. ܡ̈ܜܰܠܷܐ‎ (me̊ṭallē); ܡܨܰܠܬ݂ܐ‎ "sieve"; ܡܥܱܪܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "a cave"; and ܡܬ݂ܘܿܡ‎, ܡ̈ܬ݂ܘܿܡܱܘܗ̄ܝ‎, &c., mostly used adverbially, "completion" (תמם‎), "continually".

Two l's stand beside each other like two different consonants^[1] in ܡܱܡܠܠܐ‎ "speech"; ܡܱܜܠܠܷܐ‎ "cover, shelter" (§ 46); and the quadriliteral form ܩܽܘܒܠܠܴܐ‎ "face". In these formations, however, the l is again dropped in the usual pronunciation (§ 29), so that in point of fact the regular form makes its appearance. Add the peculiar form ܐܱܝܠܷܠܐ‎, ܐܱܝܠܠܱܬ‎ &c. "to lament"^[2]. The following appear to be later formations: ܬܱܗܠܱܠܬܴܐ‎ "mockery", from ܐܱܗܶܠ‎ (הלל‎); and from ܐܷܬܚܰܢܱܢ‎, ܬܱܚܢܱܢܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "a prayer". Thus, farther, regularly in the Ethpeel ܐܷܬܓܙܶܙ‎ "was shorn" (as compared with ܓܰܙ‎ "shore").

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