حوت

The source is unknown. Presumably of particularly ancient origin, which may have allowed for derivations from the roots ح ي و (ḥ-y-w) “living”[1] or ح و ي (ḥ-w-y) “writhing; containing”—derivations unworkable with transmitted Arabic grammar. However the Northwest Semitic noun-forming suffix -ūt added to Aramaic 𐤇𐤅𐤄 (ḥwh, absolute state) / 𐡇𐡅𐡉𐡄 (ḥwyh) / חויא (ḥiwyā) / ܚܘܝܐ (ḥewyā, “snake”), a well-known word with Arabic حَيَّة (ḥayya, “snake”) from the latter root, could have yielded an Arabic form *حِوُوت (*ḥiwūt, “sea-snake”), which according to the known Arabic sound law prohibiting sequences iwū and iyū in favour of ū (as in the third person plural m past of نَسِيَ (nasiya)), would have been contracted to حُوت (ḥūt).

As for non-Semitic provenance, Egyptian origin has been considered, in view of fish names hwn, hwṯn and ḥmt,[1] without any conclusion.

حُوت • (ḥūt) m (plural حِيتَان (ḥītān) or أَحْوَات (ʔaḥwāt))

1. fish

   Synonym: سَمَك (samak)

   • a. 1135, Ibn ʿAbdūn, “Un document sur la vie urbaine et les corps de métiers à Séville au début du XII^e siècle: Le traité d’Ibn ʿAbdūn publié avec une introduction et un glossaire”, in Évariste Lévi-Provençal, editor, Journal asiatique‎, number 2, published 1934, page 235 (٤٣) 4:
   • 1154, al-ʾIdrīsīy, نزهة المشتاق في اختراق الآفاق, الإقليم الأول - الجزء الثاني:

     وهذه البحيرة من أعاجيب الدنيا وذلك أن بها اثني عشر نوعاً من السمك يوجد منها في كل شهر نوع واحد لا يمتزج بغيره من أصناف السمك فإذا تم الشهر لم يوجد شيء من ذلك النوع في الشهر الآتي ثم يوجد في الشهر الآتي صنف من السمك آخر غير الصنف الأول لا يمتزج بغيره هكذا لكل شهر نوع من السمك لا يمتزج بسمك غيره إلى كمال السنة هكذا في كل عام وهذه الاثنا عشر نوع من الحوت التي ذكرناها هي البوري والقاجوج والمحل والطلنط والاشبلينيات والشلبة والقاروض واللاج والجوجة والكحلاء والطنفلو والقلا.

     This lake is one of the wonders of the world, for it has twelve species of fish, each month one is found therein, not mixing with any other species than itself, and when the month ends, nothing of that fish is found in the coming month, then in the coming month an other kind of fish is encountered, different from the first kind and not mixing with anything other than itself, thus every month a species of fish that does not mix with other fish, up to completion of a year and so every year, and these twelve species of fish that we have related are [a list of fish follows, some of which are unidentifiable].

2. whale
3. (normally with the definite article) Pisces

• فَم الحُوت (fam al-ḥūt, “Fomalhaut”)
• حَوَّات (ḥawwāt), حَاوِت (ḥāwit, “fisher”)

• Andalusian Arabic: حوت (ḥūt, ḥawt)
• Algerian Arabic: حوت (ḥūt)
• Libyan Arabic: حوت (ḥūt)
• Maltese: ħut
• Moroccan Arabic: حوت (ḥūt)
• Tunisian Arabic: حوت (ḥūt)
• → Swahili: Hutu (“Pisces”)

حَوَتْ • (ḥawat) (form I)

1. third-person feminine singular past active of حَوَى (ḥawā)

From Arabic حُوت (ḥūt).

• IPA^(key): /ħuːt/

حوت (ḥūt) m

1. fish

From Arabic حُوت (ḥūt).

• IPA^(key): /ħuːt/

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حوت • (ḥūt) m (collective, singulative حوتة f (ḥūta), paucal حوتات (ḥūtāt))

1. fish

From Arabic حُوت (ḥūt).

حوت • (ḥūt) m (plural حوات (ḥwāt) or حيتان (ḥitān))

1. whale
2. (astrology) Pisces