how to say “desert” in Hebrew
מִדְבָּר
I love spending time in the desert, especially in Israel. There’s something about the quiet, the dryness and the wind that soothes my soul.
The Hebrew word for desert is מִדְבָּר
listen and repeat. Its root is ד.ב.ר (d.b.r), which has two meanings in Biblical Hebrew: word (as in לְדַבֵּר listen and repeat – to speak) and disaster (as in דֶּבֶר listen and repeat – pestilence).
listen and repeat. Its root is ד.ב.ר (d.b.r), which has two meanings in Biblical Hebrew: word (as in לְדַבֵּר listen and repeat – to speak) and disaster (as in דֶּבֶר listen and repeat – pestilence).The latter meaning of the root is the one at play in our word, מדבר, as a desert is a disastrous place for most living things.
For example:
מִדְבַּר הַסָּהָרָה הוּא הַגָּדוֹל וְהַחַם בְּיוֹתֵר בָּעוֹלָם.
The Sahara Desert is the largest and hottest in the world.
In adjective form, the word becomes מִדְבָּרִי listen and repeat when describing something masculine and מִדְבָּרִית listen and repeat when describing something feminine.
listen and repeat when describing something masculine and מִדְבָּרִית listen and repeat when describing something feminine.For example:
רוּחַ מִדְבָּרִית מְלַטֶּפֶת אֶת עָרְפִּי.
A desert wind caresses the back of my neck.