| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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Appendix II
Semitic Roots |
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| ENTRY: | c tr. |
| DEFINITION: | Common Semitic masculine noun *catar-, feminine *catart-, gods representing the morning and evening stars. 1. Ashtoreth, from Hebrew ca t ret, taboo-deformation (with the vowels of bet, shame, shameful thing) of earlier *cateret. 2a. Astarte, from Greek Astart , from Phoenician *catart; b. Aphrodite, from Greek Aphrod t, probably ultimately from Phoenician *catart, Astarte (influenced by Greek aphros, foam). 3a. Ishtar, from Akkadian itar; b. Esther, from Hebrew  estr, perhaps from Akkadian itar, Ishtar (or from Persian sitareh, star; see ster-3 in Appendix I). |
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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