Where does “נפש” come from?

נפש (Hebrew) comes from Proto-Semitic napš- — life; breath; soul.

נפש (Hebrew): a soul, psyche; life; a person

Definitions

  1. a soul, psyche; life; a person

Ancestry of “נפש”, step by step

נפש traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Semitic napš-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Semiticnapš-life; breath; soul

via Hebrew נֶפֶשׁ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hebrewנֶפֶשׁsoul
Every word from Proto-Semitic napš-