how to say “irritating” in Hebrew
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I like to publish entries on words and phrases that have a positive or neutral bent. Nevertheless, sometimes we need to express ourselves with terms that are less than pretty.
The Hebrew word מֵעִיק (meh-EEK) is one of those terms. Sometimes we just need to call a spade a spade and label an event, a song, or a person’s actions as irritating or bothersome – מעיק. The feminine form of this term is מֵעִיקָה (meh-ee-KAH).
מעיק comes from the Biblical Hebrew word still used today, מוּעָקָה (moo-ah-KAH) – distress. The root of these words is ע.ו.ק (a.w.k).
מעיק is an adjective deriving from the active-causative הפעיל verb, לְהָעִיק (leh-hah-EEK) – to irritate (emotionally, not physically).
To say irritated, you’d use a different word – עַצְבָּנִי (ats-bah-NEE), which also means nervous and anxious.
