how to say “pest control” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הדברה-1.m4a” /]הַדְבָּרָה
Yesterday we saw the Hebrew word for a bee – דבורה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הדברה-2.m4a” /].
Another word ostensibly of the same root, ד.ב.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הדברה-3.m4a” /], is הדברה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הדברה-1.m4a” /] – pest control.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הדברה-X.m4a” /]כשהיא לא יכלה כבר לסבול את הנמלים במטבח, היא החליטה להתקשר לחברת הדברה.
When she could no longer stand the ants in the kitchen, she decided to call a pest-control company.
הדברה is the gerund form of the active-causative verb להדביר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הדברה-5.m4a” /] – to eliminate pests.
You may be wondering what the connection is between pest control and speech – דיבור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הדברה-6.m4a” /] – whose root is also ד.ב.ר. I’m wondering the same thing, and I haven’t found a good answer.
But if you’re a synagogue goer, and you attend a Zionist synagogue, I will offer you a challenge: Find a form of להדביר in the service. Report your answer in the comments below, or as a reply to this email if you’re receiving the blog in email form.