ZI
nasāḫu

Akkadian verb

Last edited: 2024-03-22
Primary meaning to subtract
Literal translation to tear out
Variants
ZI nasāḫu
Edited by
to subtract mathematical operation, subtractive operation, arithmetical operation

(1) 1 ḪUN mi-⸢nu-u₂⸣ ki al 12 ḪUN LA₂-u₂ 11 LA₂ (2) 11 A.RA₂ 30 5.30 5.30 TA 45 (3) ZI ša₂ ḪUN ZI-ma 39.30

‘(1) 1 Aries: whatever it is less than 12 Aries, it is less by 11. (2) 11 times (0);30 is 5;30. You 'tear out’ 5;30 from 45, (3) the subtraction for Aries, it is 39;30.’

— BM 36722 (BMAPT No. 52) Rev. i 1-3

Genre: mathematical astronomy: procedure text
Provenance: Babylon
Date: ca. 350-250 BCE

Ossendrijver, M. 2012. Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy: Procedure Texts. New York: Springer.

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). ZI (Lemma #200). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/200/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). ZI (Lemma #200). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/200/
MLA (9th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). ZI (Lemma #200). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/200/
Harvard
Ossendrijver, M. (2024) ZI (Lemma #200), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/200/ (Accessed: December 1, 2025).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac200,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-12-01]},
	author = {Ossendrijver, Mathieu},
	year = {2024},
	title = {ZI ({Lemma} #200)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/200/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/200/},
}