how to say “courtesy” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /]אֲדִיבוּת
The word אדיב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /] – courteous comes to Hebrew via the Arabic word أديب[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /] (adeeb), referring to a scholar, presumably a person of manners. When Eliezer Ben Yehuda coined this term, he must have had in mind the word נדיב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /] – generous, first appearing in Biblical Hebrew.
Truth be told, אדיב means courteous, but also implies kind.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /]היא אדם אדיב ונדיב.
She is a courteous, kind and generous person.
So if אדם אדיב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /] is a courteous person, אדיבות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /] means courtesy.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/אדיבות-#.m4a” /]קיבלו אותנו באדיבות במלון.
They greeted us with courtesy at the hotel.
