Jerusalem — From West Semitic to English | etymologist.ai
jerusalem
/dʒəˈruːsələm/·proper noun·Akkadian Urusalim c. 2000 BCE; English 'Jerusalem' from Old English period·Established
Origin
English 'Jerusalem' comes via Latin and Greek from Hebrew Yerushalayim, a West Semitic name meaning 'foundation of Shalem' — Shalem being an ancient Canaanite deity of peace whose name also gives us 'shalom' and 'salaam'.
Definition
A city in the Middle East, sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
The Full Story
West Semiticc. 2000 BCE (earliest attestation)well-attested
English 'Jerusalem' derives via Latin 'Hierusalem' and Greek 'Hierosoluma' (Ἱεροσόλυμα) from Hebrew 'Yerushalayim' (ירושלים). The name appears in Egyptian Execration Texts (c. 19th century BCE) as 'Rusalimum' and in the Amarna Letters (c. 1400 BCE) as 'Urusalim'. The name is generally analyzed as a West Semitic compound: the first element is likely 'uru' (foundation
Did you know?
Jerusalem may be the only major world city named after a god most people have never heard of. Shalem was a Canaanite deity of the eveningstar and dusk — essentially a god of twilight and peace. His namesurvives not only in Jerusalem but also in the Hebrew greeting 'shalom' and the Arabic
, city) or 'yeru' (possibly 'founded by'), and the second element 'shalem' is the name of a Canaanite deity associated with the evening star and with peace (compare Hebrew 'shalom'). Thus 'Yerushalayim' likely