ܢܳܢܚܳܐ [†] nnḥʾ nānḥā mint
Allotropes (?): ܢܵܢܥܵܐ nnʿʾ nānʿā; ܢܝܼܢܟܵܐ nynkʾ ninkā
Among various etymological proposals, LS also mentions the connection with NP nān-xwāh aniseed (in some places it seems to mean "caraway-seed"), which is frequently baked into bread on account of its flavour and stomachic qualities (Steingass 1381), cf. the next entry. Another possibility is the connection with NP nānʿā mint, spearmint (Steingass 1412), NP, Arab. naʿnaʿ, naʿnāʿ id. But, as Leonid Kogan (personal communication) points out, even if the related Akkad. form ananiḫu is late and, in principle, should not be regarded as a serious argument against the Iranian etymology, it is worth noting that ʾannḫ "mint" is supposed to be attested in Ugaritic (see the discussion in del Olmo Lete – Sanmartin 2003, I 81). If the interpretation of the Ugaritic term is correct, an Iranian loanword becomes unlikely for all the rest of the Semitic languages. However, the interpretation of the Ugaritic word is not completely certain: some scholars translate "mint", others "lamb" (cf. Xella 1973, 198, n. 21). As for nynkʾ, LS gives the form as an allotrope of nnkwhg (cf. the next entry), but he warns that the form in Med 83, 22 (not translated by Budge) could also be read nynyʾ, that is the Syriac word meaning "ammi" and corresponding to Akkad. nīnu (cf. LS 432a); also Gignoux (personal communication) excludes that Syr. nynkʾ could be an allotrope of nnkwhg, and suggests that the form represents Syr. nnḥʾ ● nnḥʾ Th Marg 1, 159, 12 (cf. Nöldeke LZBl. 1894 ad l.l.); nnʿʾ Mt 23, 23; Lc 11, 42; nynkʾ Med 83, 22 ◆ LS 431b; 432a; PS Suppl. 212; 213