ש־מ־ש

š-m-š “to serve, attend”

Aramaic šammāšāʾ 'servant' became the synagogue beadle, the shamash, and the 'servant' candle that lights the others on the Hanukkah lamp. Its Yiddish form shames, the caretaker who watches over things, is the most likely source of American shamus, 'private eye', though Irish Séamus may have helped.

Family membershipProbable

Today2 of 2 words have reached English

13 hops. The slider moves through them evenly, so busy centuries get room.

Words from this root 2

shamashAramaic → Mishnaic Hebrew → Modern Hebrew → American English
shamusAramaic → Mishnaic Hebrew → Yiddish → American English

Relatives outside the atlas

Aramaic	שַׁמָּשָׁא	šammāšāʾ	“servant, attendant”
Mishnaic Hebrew	שִׁמֵּשׁ	šimmēš	“to serve”
Modern Hebrew	שִׁמּוּשׁ	shimush	“use; service”
Syriac	ܡܫܡܫܢܐ	mšammšānā	“deacon, minister”
Arabic	شَمَّاس	šammās	“deacon (borrowed from Aramaic)”