how to say “hospitalization” in Hebrew
having trouble seeing the print?
You may know that throughout its history, Hebrew has borrowed many a term from its sister language, Aramaic. In order to communicate the concept of hospitalization – a term that didn’t exist in the times when Biblical Hebrew was spoken – Modern Hebrew borrows Aramaic’s word for guest, creating אִשְׁפּוּז (eesh-POOZ).
אשפוז is an abstract noun of the active-intensive form, so that to hospitalize is לְאַשְׁפֵּז (leh-ahsh-PEZ). It is used as a passive-intensive verb as well: for example, אֻשְׁפַּזְתִּי בְּבֵית הַחוֹלִים (oosh-PAHZ-tee beh-VEH-eet hah-khoh-LEEM) – I was hospitalized (in the hospital). And to get hospitalized is לְהִתְאַשְׁפֵּז (leh-heet-ahsh-PEZ), an reflexive-intensive.
חַג שָׂמֵח!
(khahg sah-MEH-ahkh!)
Happy holiday!
My wish for you this סוכות is that you don’t undergo אשפוז – and if you need to, it should be a successful one.
* I’m out of the country at the moment – otherwise I’d be in the Sukkah right now and not in front of the computer.
