how to say “mustache” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/שפם-#.m4a” /]שָׂפָם

The word mustache came to English via French, but it likely originated in Medieval Greek where it meant something to the effect of the part of the body with which one chews.

The Hebrew word is שפם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/שפם-#.m4a” /], as in:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/שפם-#.m4a” /]פעם שפם היה באופנה, אבל היום זה זקן צרפתי.

A mustache used to be in fashion, but today it’s a goatee.

שפם is derived from שפה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/שפם-#.m4a” /], which means not only language, but also the part of the body with which language is spoken: שפתיים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/שפם-#.m4a” /] means lips, while a single lip is שפה.

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