ܠܡ [†] lm namely, forsooth, to wit; in second position, the particle serves to introduce a quotation, or oblique oration
LS compares only Talm. Aram. nmy; but Nöldeke MG 485, who considers Syr. lm as an example of confusion between /l/ and /n/ (see § 11.3.2), claims the Persian origin of this particle, without quoting any form; Henning (1946, 729), considering Sogd. nmʾy, observes: “perhaps the same particle as the Talmudic nmy (Levy 1924, III 399), whose Persian origin Nöldeke suspected [...]. Syriac lam is generally derived from nmy”. Maybe cf. MP nām name (CPD 57), NP nām name (Steingass 1378)? In this case, it would be a grammaticalization similar to Engl. namely, Germ. nämlich etc. A similar grammaticalized use of the word for "name" is not unknown to Syriac: cf. b-šmā d- because; ʿal šmā d- because of, lit. "in the name of" (cf. LS 784b). But Gignoux (personal communication) claims that the hypothesis of an Iranian origin is untenable ● Col 2, 21; 2Thess 2, 2; Afr 86, 16; ER 65, 11; Jul 218, 2; Bh chr 305, 20 ◆ LS 367a; PS Comp. 242