wardum

Akkadian

Root
w-r-d
2 terms

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *w-r-d- (“to be led, to descend, to be taken down from a place”), possibly corroborated by the logogram used to write this word, originally containing the sign 𒆳 (kur, “highland, foreign country”) (compare 𒀴 and 𒀵), the Sumerian term being likely derived from an Akkadian borrowing; compare Hebrew יַרְדֵּן (yarden).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈwar.dum/

Noun

wardum m (construct state warad, plural wardū) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. male slave, male servant
   • 1755–1750 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon, translated by OMNIKA Foundation, Hammurabi Code‎^[1], The Louvre, Law 205:

     𒋳𒈠 𒀵 𒀀𒉿𒅆 𒇷𒂊𒀉 𒌉 𒀀𒉿𒅆 𒉎𒋫𒄩𒊍 𒌑𒍪𒌦𒋗 𒄿𒈾𒀝𒆠𒋢

     [šumma warad awīlim lēt mār awīlim imtaḫaṣ uzuššu inakkisū]

     šum-ma IR₁₁ a-wi-lim le-e-et DUMU a-wi-lim im-ta-ḫa-aṣ u₂-zu-un-šu i-na-ak-ki-su

     If the slave of a free man has struck the cheek of a free man, his ear will be cut off.

2. official, subordinate, soldier
3. follower, subject of a king, worshiper of a deity

Alternative forms

• wardu (non-mimated)
• ardum, ardu (Old Babylonian, Middle Babylonian)
• aradum (occasionally)
• bardum, bardu (Old Assyrian)
• urdum, urdu (Old Assyrian, Middle Assyrian, Neo-Assyrian)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒀵 (ARAD₂, IR₁₁) 𒊕𒀵 (SAG.ARAD₂/IR₁₁) 𒀴 (ARAD/IR₃) 𒊕𒀴 (SAG.ARAD/IR₃)	𒉿𒅈𒁺𒌝 (wa-ar-du-um) 𒉿𒅈𒁺 (wa-ar-du) 𒌨𒁺𒌝 (ur-du-um) 𒀀𒊏𒁺 (a-ra-du) 𒅈𒁺 (ar-du)

Related terms

• warad ēkallim

 

References

• “ardu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], volume 1, A, part 2, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1968, page 243
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “(w)ardu(m)”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, page 434
• Huehnergard, John (2011) A Grammar of Akkadian (Harvard Semitic Studies; 45), 3rd edition, Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns