sikdu
1As part of a weapon (bow?)
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) si-ik-di (∥ šu-uk-du) elû šamê ušnarraṭ si-ik-di (∥ [š]u-uk-du) šaplû arallâ idekki ZA 113, 201: 54f. eBL “the upper limb (scil. of your bow) makes heaven tremble, the lower limb raises up the netherworld”. new
Discussion
If sikdu (an insect) and sikdu/šukdu actually refer to the same word, it could be that the name of the animal served as a technical term in weaponry, according to Fadhil/Jiménez 2023, 210f. perhaps a composite bow (note the use of nimgallu “large fly” as the name for a siege weapon; see Fadhil/Jiménez 2023, 210f.; following this argumentation, note also the mention of the term šil-taḫ AN.TA “upper arrow” in the ritual text BM 42287 o. 3′, as well as si-ik-du e-lu-ú “upper s” in ib. o. 7′).
Cf. for the part of the weapon perhaps also ziqtīʾu.