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Of uncertain origin; attested at least from the Amarna period in Northwest Semitic; compare Phoenician 𐤍𐤇𐤔 (nḥš), Hebrew נחושת (n'khóshet, “copper”), Aramaic נחשׁ (“copper, bronze”), and Nehushtan:
- From Proto-Semitic *naḥaš- (“snake, reptile; divination, incantations; to learn secret things”), such a sense derived from hissing equated to whispers. The process of extracting ore and the ability to shape metal was considered connected to arcane arts in most early societies; alternatively from the use of copper, bronze, and brass bowls in commonly practiced hydromancy or in offering libations to spirits.
- Possibly from a semantic shift of Akkadian 𒀭𒈾 (annaku, “tin”), from Sumerian 𒀭𒈾 (anna, nagga, “tin”), as most ancient languages conflate the terms for copper and bronze, bronze being an alloy of tin and copper. In this case a doublet of آنُك (ʾānuk).
- Possibly related to Akkadian 𒋼𒂗𒋙𒌑 (tenšu, “metal ornament, a metal inlay”), likely borrowed from Aramaic; less likely related to Akkadian 𒀀𒄭𒄊𒌋 (aḫušʾu, “poetic name for copper”), ultimately from a Sumerian loan.
نُحَاس • (nuḥās) m
Declension of noun نُحَاس (nuḥās)