how to say “mothers” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

אִמָּהוֹת

If you’ve been around Israelis, you surely know the word for mom – אמא
.

But you may be surprised to learn that this term of endearment, אמא, is actually a word in Aramaic, while the Hebrew word for mother is אם
.

What about multiple mothers? That’s אמהות
, as in:

כל האמהות באות לקחת את הילדים באותו זמן.

All the mothers come to take their (the) kids at the same time.

And, in the Passover song ?אחד מי יודע
– Who Knows One?

ארבע אמהות…

Four mothers…

In the case of the סדר פסח
– the Passover Seder, אמהות refers to the matriarchs of the Jewish people: שרה
– Sarah, רבקה
– Rebecca, רחל
– Rachel and לאה
– Leah.

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