H1478 גָּוַע gâvaʻ → Root
20 languagesRoot of the גוע gâvaʻ family (1 member).
To expire, to cease breathing, or to die (often in the sense of a peaceful or natural death). In the Hebrew Bible, גָּוַע is used to describe the end of life, typically indicating a natural or nonviolent death, and is often reserved for describing the death of notable personages such as patriarchs or monarchs. Unlike other terms for death, it emphasizes the physical act of expiring rather than violent loss of life or judicial execution.
Etymology
From the triliteral root ג-ו-ע (גָּוַע), meaning 'to expire' or 'to cease breathing.' The root's core notion involves the loss of physical breath, implying the end of mortal existence. This differs from other Hebrew roots for death that focus on violent demise or destruction (e.g., מות, 'to die,' often with broader semantic range).
Reflexes · not yet grouped by proto-form
| Language | Word | Meaning | Segmentation | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemba | fwa | die | -fwa (< *-fa) | |
| Chichewa | fa | die | -fa | |
| Chichewa | kufa | to die | ||
| Kikongo | fa | die (archaic/less common, often kufwa) | -fa | |
| Kimbundu | fwá | die | -fa/-fwá | |
| Kinyarwanda | fa | die | -fa | |
| Kirundi | fa | die | -fa | |
| Lingala | kufwa | to die | -fa/-fwá | |
| Lozi | fa | die | -fa | |
| Luganda | fa | die | -fa | |
| Lunda | fwá | die | -fa/-fwá | |
| Luvale | fwá | die | -fa/-fwá | |
| Ndebele | fa | die | -fa | |
| Shona | fa | die | -fa | |
| Sotho | shoa | die | -sho̤a (from earlier *-fa; Silozi fa) | |
| Swahili | fa | die (archaic/poetic); now often kufa | -fa | |
| Tonga (Zambia) | fa | die | -fa | |
| Umbundu | fwã | die | -fa/-fwã | |
| Xhosa | fa | die | -fa | |
| Zulu | fa | die | f |