how to say “disinfectant” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-1.m4a” /]מְחַטֵּא

You may recognize the three-letter root of the word disinfectant – מחטא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-1.m4a” /] – as that of the word for sin – חטא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-2.m4a” /] as well as of the active-simple verb to sin – לחטוא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-3.m4a” /].

To illustrate the latter word, here’s a Biblical verse:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-4.m4a” /]כי אין צדיק בארץ אשר יעשה טוב ולא יחטא. (קהלת פרק ז’)

For there is no righteous person on earth, who does good without sinning. (Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7)

What does disinfectant have to do with sinning? Disinfectant removes that which is dirty or impure, metaphorically, the substance or result of a sin. מחטא is disinfectant, while לחטא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-5.m4a” /], appearing as early as Biblical Hebrew, is the active-intensive verb meaning to disinfect or to cleanse.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-6.m4a” /]קנית מחטא? צריך לחטא את המטבח.

Have you (a male) bought disinfectant? (We) need to disinfect the kitchen.

And the act of disinfection? That’s חיטוי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-7.m4a” /], so that another term for disinfectant is חומר חיטוי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-8.m4a” /] – literally, material of disinfection.