to spit to bless 2 realizations
ACCEPTED Realization 1
type Derivation
language Amharic
lexeme 1 məraḳ
lexeme 2 märräḳä
meaning 1 saliva, spittle




direction
meaning 2 to bless, give benediction

märraqi


one who blesses, one who gives the farewell admonishment (at a wedding, usually an elder relative)

reference AED: 180 CDG: 617-18
comment

Cf. also Soq. meraḳ ‘saliva’. Amh. wärräḳä 'to spit' is derived from Gez. waraḳa ‘to spit’ (CDG 618). 

Note that from məraḳ 'spittle' a denominative *mrq 'to bless' is used in Tna., Amh., Gur. märräḳä 'to bless’, Arg. merräḳä ‘to bless’, Gaf. mirräḳä ‘to bless’ (CDG 618). Amh. verb märräḳä also can mean 'to spit' (not the basic meaning) (AED 180).

This comes from the practice all over Ethiopia of spitting with the purpose of blessing (CDG 617). In Or. tufa 'blessing of good wishes by means of saliva blown lightly towards the face or object to be blessed’ (Appleyard 1977:57).

The root reconstructed *rḳ 'to spit' (SED I No. 81ᵥ) as a biconsonantal element with various triconsonantizing augments in individual languages.

ACCEPTED Realization 2
type Polysemy
language Khwe
lexeme ǀxéì
meaning 1 to spit
direction
meaning 2 to bless
reference Kilian-Hatz, Khwe dictionary. 2003: 170
comment

The meanings in Khwe are: to spit on; to bless; blessed; blissful; happy