According to Ignace J. Gelb, an Akkadian language word that can be read "sarsar" may refer to a spice plant. This word could be attested in the Syriac "satre", and Arabic "za'atar" (or "sa'tar"), possibly the source of Latin "Satureia". Satureia ("Satureja") is a common name for "Satureja thymbra", a species of savory whose other common and ethnic names include, "Persian za'atar", "za'atar rumi" (Roman hyssop), and "za'atar franji" (European hyssop). In the Modern Hebrew language, "za'atar" is used as an Arabic loanword.