Akkadian Addenda · Signs

𒌑U₂ · [u] · plant, grass

grass

Where it comes from

A plant — grass, greenery — in the sign lists; Sumerian read it u₂ for plants and food. Akkadian took the bare vowel and made it a verbal workhorse: a whole family of verb forms opens on u- (u-ub-bi-ir-ma, “he accused”; u-ki-in, “he established”), so the little grass-sign stands at the head of action after action in the laws.

How to remember it

Grass grows first — before anything else happens on a plot, the grass is already up. In the laws it is the same: before the verb gets anywhere, the grass-sign has already sprouted at its front.

In the wild

Taught in 103’s chapter 05.