how to say “martial arts” in Hebrew

 

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אָמָּנִיּוֹת לְחִימָה

 

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The English word martial has to do with war and battle, as in the terms martial law and martial arts.
 
אומנויות לחימה

 

The Hebrew term for martial arts is אָמָּנִיּוֹת לְחִימָה ( listen and repeat)
 
אמניות ( listen and repeatis the plural form of the word for art – אָמָּנוּת ( listen and repeat). Note that the  ָ vowel is pronounced oh in this word, instead of the usual ah. Likewise, and אָמָּן ( listen and repeat)is a male artist, while an אָמָּנִית ( listen and repeatis a female artist.
 
And לְחִימָה ( listen and repeatrefers to the act of warring or battling. It comes from the root ל.ח.מ (l.kh.m) of the same meaning. 
 
But if you know even the most basic Hebrew phrases, you surely recognize that the root ל.ח.מ also means bread and sustenance – לֶחֶם ( listen and repeat). What is the connection between war and food?
 
לחם
 
 
Yaacov Etsion in this article (if you’re an advanced Hebrew learner, give reading it a try) teaches that the early swords used in what is today known as the Middle East looked like a sickle, sporting a rounded blade – so that when one attacked, it was as if the sword was eating the victim.
 
כלי של אומנויות לחימה
 
 
Etsion also suggests a less graphic explanation. He quotes 19th-century Biblical-Hebrew linguist Joshua Steinberg, who remarked that people must struggle – or battle – to obtain their livelihood, best represented by bread itself.
 
by Ami SteinbergerFounder and Director, Ulpan La-Inyan
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