Segolate

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Segolates are words in the Hebrew language of the form CVCVC, where the penultimate vowel receives syllable stress. Such words are called "segolates" because the final unstressed vowel is typically (but not always) segol. These words evolved from older Canaanite and Semitic words that ended with two consonants; indeed, when a suffix (other than an absolute plural) is added to a segolate, the final vowel vanishes, and the penultimate vowel undergoes compensatory shortening.

[edit] In Hebrew

*Ancient	Tiberian		Stem		Meaning
*ʼarṥ	אֶרֶץ/אָרֶץ	ʼéreṣ/ʼāreṣ	אַרְצ-	ʼarṣ-	earth; land
*ʼurn	אֹרֶן	ʼōren	אָרְנ-	ʼorn-	pine tree
*baʻl	בַּעַל/בָּעַל	báʻal/bāʻal	בַּעֲל-	baʻăl-	husband
*zarʻ	זֶרַע/זָרַע	zéraʻ/zāraʻ	זַרְע-	zarʻ-	seed
*yayn	יַיִן/יָיִן	yáyin/yāyin	יֵינ-	yên-	wine
*malḥ	מֶלַח/מָלַח	mélaḥ/mālaḥ	מַלְח-	malḥ-	salt
*malk	מֶלֶך/מָלֶך	méleḵ/māleḵ	מַלְכּ-	malk-	king
*kalb	כֶּלֶב/כָּלֶב	kéleḇ/kāleḇ	כַּלְבּ-	kalb-	dog
*laḥy	לֶחִי/לָחִי	léḥî/lāḥî	לַחֲי-	laḥăy-	cheek; tool jaw
*ʻIbr	עֵבֶר	ʻĒḇer	עִבְר-	ʻIḇr-	Eber
*ʻayn	עַיִן/עָיִן	ʻáyin/ʻāyin	עֵינ-	ʻên-	eye
*ṣadq	צֶדֶק/צָדֶק	ṣéḏeq/ṣāḏeq	צַדְק-	ṣaḏq-	righteousness

The ancient forms like *CawC (such as šawr "bull") almost universally evolved to non-segolate CôC (שׁוֹר šôr), though there are exceptions, such as the segolated proper name דָּוִד Dāwiḏ (David), which evolved from older *dawd. The same ancient form evolved into the Hebrew word דּוֹד dôḏ, which means "uncle" or (poetically) "beloved". The proper name also carries this meaning.

[edit] In Levantine Arabic

The Arabic language still permits words to end with two consonants, but Levantine Arabic does not. The Levantine dialects insert a final unstressed vowel in a similar manner as Hebrew segolates.

Standard		Levantine	Meaning
بئر السبع	Biʼr as-Sabʻ	Bíʼir as-Sábaʻ	Beersheba
دمشق	Dimašq	Dimášaʼ	Damascus
طول كرم	Ṭūl Karm	Ṭūl Kárem	Tulkarm
القدس	al-Quds	al-ʼÚdus	Jerusalem