bird happiness, luck 2 realizations FAMILY: Afro-Asiatic
ACCEPTED Realization 1 (ID: 85)
type Cognates
language 1 Classical Arabic
language 2 Wolane
lexeme 1 ṭayr-
lexeme 2 ṭur
meaning 1 bird
direction
meaning 2 good fortune, luck
reference BK: II 129 Lane: 1904 EDG: 630
comment

Via the meaning 'to tell fortune (by observing the flight of birds)', see SED II No. 235.

Both meanings are found also in some other Semitic cognates, see EDG 630. But in the Arabic itself the root *ṭyr is not connected with good fortune. For example, verb taṭayyara (تَطَيَّرَ) derivative V-stem from I-stem ṭāra 'to fly' (> ṭāʔir- 'bird') means 'to see as a bad omen', and word ṭūrat- is ‘bad augury’ [BK II 129].


ACCEPTED Realization 2 (ID: 2804)
type Polysemy
language Tigrinya
lexeme ʕuf, ʕof, ʕif
meaning 1 bird, fowl
direction
meaning 2 luck, good fortune
reference TED: 1949
comment For etymology see SED II No. 48.