The name Zachariah (Zecarias) and its Ancient Semitic roots

“Remembrance” or “Memorial“

The name Zachariah is the Latin form of the Hebrew ‘זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah)’, meaning “Yah Remembers”¹ (Abarim Publications, 2006).

Biblical reference: The Book of Zachariah, in summary, is a “call to return to God”² (biblegateway.com).

The cognate, Zecarias, is the Hellenized [Greek] form adopted by several languages in the Bible.

With the exception of a few, Semitic roots are triliterals; each root consists of three consonants that form the core meaning. The Semitic root written left to right is z-k-r, and this is the key to unlocking the meaning of the name.

The root of what is said to be the first part of the possible compound:

‘ዘከረ (zäkärä)‘ means “remember, recollect, be mindful of, remind, bring to memory“³ (Leslau, 1989). The related noun, ‘ዝክር (zəkr)‘ can mean “remembrance” or “memorial.”

What is said to be the second part of the possible compound:

While there is no listed etymological root for “Yah” – which is said to, possibly, be the Hebrew short form for “Yahweh” – in Gəʿəz, either:
‘Yah’ is borrowed from the Hebrew name for God, YHWH (Yahweh) or;
It’s a grammatical function that translates differently between the two languages.