Hittite warā(i)-: ‘(bird) mate, companion’

The Hittite term warā(i)– is only found in Hittite bird oracle reports of early date (Middle Script). The first convincing interpretation of this term, as ‘pair’, was provided by Y. Sakuma in his doctoral dissertation on Hittite bird oracles (2009). An amendment to this interpretation can be proposed based on the consistent usage both in the plural (primarily) and in the singular (rarely), which shows that this term refers, rather, to one member of a pair at a time, thus a ‘mate, companion’ – namely of a pair of birds. The article thus proposes, moving from the semantics of ‘pair’, an improved translation ‘mate, companion’ for Hittite warā(i)– and discusses the attestations and passages of interest in the oracle reports. It is also suggested that the term is to be understood as an adaptation from Luwian, and possible connected forms are discussed. An appendix discusses a Hittite verb which may also be connected to the same root (although less securely), warasḫ-.