how to say “jet lag” in Hebrew
יַעֶפֶת (גֶ’ט-לֶג)
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Most Israelis call it, simply, גֶ’ט-לֶג (jet lag).
But those who work at the Academy of the Hebrew Language would call it by its official Hebrew name, יַעֶפֶת (yah-EH-fet). I haven’t looked into it thoroughly, but I think the Hebrew word somehow merges two others: עַיֵּף (ah-YEF) – tired, and לָעוּף (lah-OOF) – to fly.
The word appears on a list of 63 Modern-Hebrew additions to the language, published by the Academy: one word for each year of Modern Israel’s existence. An alumna of Ulpan La-Inyan forwarded me the list – thanks Judi!
יעפת is a nice word to know, but it’s not used very widely. Such is the fate of many words introduced by the Academy. Check out the list, however, for some words that have become an indispensable part of the living Hebrew language.
