SKIP Pa$a[K]H Pey-Samekh-Het
PA-TAH______פסח______[PS-KHàSKP]
ROOTS:
There is no Indo-European (IE) 'root' for SKIP. Lexicographers take a pass on this by saying it might be a shortened form of SKIPPER (a boat-master term).
Swedish dialect does have a word skopa, meaning 'to skip, leap.'
It is unclear how ships skip. Ships do float, and skim the surface -- ee 'SHIP.'
פסח Pa$a[K]H is to pass over or SKIP over (Exodus 12:13).
An M231 metathesis (P'$'KH --> SKP) would bring this SKIPPING or passing over origin of Passover into view.
The historical PASSAGE or “open door” and the “passing over” of the Exodus are related, even if פסח Pe$aK[H] (Passover) is spelled with a Samekh, and not a Sahf/(S). In Exodus 12:23 the two words are placed together to make this point: הפתח... על ‘ה ופסח V’Pa$aK[H] HaShem [A]hL HaPa(S)aK[H]… (the Lord will pass over the passageway or “door”).
BRANCHES: IE cognates and Edenic related words are available at PASSAGE and PATIO. An Asian word meaning leaping and omitting ought to reverse the P-S Edenic etymon or the bilabial-dental of its many similar words. Japanese tobasu does so. The Christian spring holiday of Easter is based on Passover. The word for 'easter,' as well as forms of the adj. PASCHAL, are borrowed from the Hebrew Bible's word for the Passover goat/lamb sacrifice and pivotal 'skipping over' or sparing of the Israelites from the disasters that decimated the Egyptians.
Examples of latter-day forms of פסח Pe$aK[H], Passover in 'Easter' words:
Albanian Paske
Danish/Icelandic/Swedish forms of PSK
Dutch paas (Easter or paschal) – guttural dropped
Finnish pääsiäinen (Easter or Passover)
French Pâques – M132
Greek Páscha Πάσχα
Latin Pascha
Persian Pasch
Polish Pascha (Easter or Passover)
Portuguese Páscoa
Russian paskhal'nyy Пасхальный
Spanish Pascua
Turkish Paskalya
Welsh Pasgau
Arabic did not borrow the term, and uses different descriptive phrases for Passover and Easter. Had they borrowed the PSK, the P would be heard as a B.
Palestine is pronounced Balestine.
If borrowings are this diverse, imagine how differently cultures render words that were imbedded in their human language program from prehistory.
Enjoy your spring holiday of rejuvenation, whatever that may be. If religious piety clogs your soul, and you feel the other is lacking, even inferior, for not sharing the traditions you were brought up in ... consider the disturbing probability that our Creator despises your piety, and that your intolerance is not forgiven because you were indoctrinated with a form of Replacement Theology.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
