Talk:לילית

Folk-etymology?

No-one has provided a reason why the derivation from "night" should not be genuine. It seems that the Semitic root l-l- (masculine noun meaning "night") is joined to the feminine suffix -t, thus meaning "lady of the night". This can hold true even for the Akkadian word. If this is not so, please specify why not, and come up with a better explanation. 24.108.18.81 04:47, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Because it may be not true in the first place to assume any connection to nocturnal occurrences. Fay Freak (talk) 05:45, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Um...why not? 24.108.18.81 15:56, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Because as I said in the etymology, the related meanings may have arisen in secondary connection to that Semitic root, so not actually derive from it. The earliest occurrences (Isaiah 34:14, maybe also the Talmud occurrence) do not give enough context to make it certain that it was a nocturnal demon. Rare words were misinterpreted more often than correctly interpreted, the first hint being superficial etymologies. Thus אֲבִיּוֹנָה (“caperberry”) could mean the “orgasm” we wish you at night. Fay Freak (talk) 18:21, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

compare lilu, lilin - -sche (discuss) 13:13, 5 November 2023 (UTC)