Cuneiform Sign Kisim5

In Sumerian word lists, KISIM5 stands for sour milk.

Akkadian, another language written in cuneiform, has the related word kisimmu. A Babylonian commentary—a scholarly note on a word list—links the dairy entry to a sheep pen through wordplay on KI (“depth”) and SI (“sheep”). That is a learned explanation of the entry, not an everyday second reading of the sign.

If someone sends 𒆨 alone, its ancient dictionary gloss is not enough to tell you what they mean.

How old is the KISIM5 sign?

Its earliest listed attestation is Early Dynastic IIIb.

The sign list also records it in Ur III, Old Babylonian, Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Persian, and Hellenistic material.

Early cuneiform began as administrative recordkeeping for quantities and goods, then expanded to write words and sounds. The surviving Sumerian lexical record ties 𒆨 to a dairy term.

What does the 5 in KISIM5 mean?

The 5 separates readings; it is not drawn in the glyph.

In Assyriological transliteration—the notation scholars use for cuneiform—subscripts distinguish homophones, signs that share a reading. KISIM5’s 5 is that scholarly label.