māḫītu
DRAFT
Meanings:
whip
Grammar:
pos: subst.Substantive
Etymology: Derived ＜ maḫû (?) Abraham/Sokoloff 2011, 40, followed by Cherry 2023, 278 doubt the Aramaic origin proposed in AHw. because there is no corresponding nominal derivate of the root mḥʾ “to hit” in Aramaic. See also the discussion in CAD.
2Attestations
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) [gišma]-ḫi-tú ša issēn šangû .[..] tarṣi ili šalāšīšu ulla SAA 20, 52 r. i 35 SAAo “the priest ta[kes(?)] the [wh]ip of the one and raises (it) thrice before the god”.
NANA: Neo Assyrian (ca. 1000–600 BCE) 2 É ma-ḫi-a-te StAT 3, 8: 11 ATAE “2 cases for whips”.
Discussion
For the only OB ref. cited in CAD, see miḫitu. It is unclear whether this term is related.