לפענח When I walked up to my first exhibit at the British Museum last Monday, I was surprised, excited and humbled to find myself face-to-face with the Rosetta Stone. Thanks for the picture, Mark! Yes, this stone is the namesake of some of the best software for learning a foreign language. The…
מגוחך No connection to anything, just a word that popped into my head: the Hebrew word for absurd is מְגֻחָך (me-goo-KHAHKH). For example, קוֹפִים עָפִים מִסָּבִיב לַיָּרֵחַ זֶה דָּבָר מְגוּחָך (koh-FEEM ah-FEEM mee-sah-VEEV lah-yah-REH-ahkh zeh dah-VAHR me-goo-KHAHKH) – Monkeys flying around the moon is something absurd. You know what else is מגוחך?…
לזייף כֶּסֶף מְזֻיַּף (KEH-sef me-zoo-YAHF) is counterfeit money. לְזַיֵּף (le-zah-YEF) is to counterfeit. The root of both is ז.י.פ (z.y.p/f). One can also counterfeit a decent voice while singing. In English we call this phenomenon singing off-key. In Hebrew, we call it לזייף – to sing off-key – or זִיּוּף (zee-YOOF) – the act of singing…
תייר, תיירת I’m writing to you from an Internet center (“centre”) in Central London. I just spent the afternoon touring with a friend. We went to the British Museum, the Wallace Collection and walked around Oxford Street. London’s a cool place. In the next couple days perhaps I’ll upload a picture/photo of my trip/journey (mixing…
להכשיר Following yesterday’s word, כִּשָּׁרוֹן (kee-shah-ROHN) – talent, I’ve got a related word from the same root (כ.ש.ר – k.sh.r). To cause someone to be prepared for a task or to train someone is לְהַכְשִׁיר (le-hahkh-SHEER). For example, אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לְהַכְשִׁיר מִישֶׁהוּ בְּרַעֲנָנָה (ah-NEE hoh-LEKH le-hahkh-SHEER MEE-sheh-hoo be-rah-ah-NAH-nah) – I’m going to train someone…
כשרון You probably know the Hebrew word for Kosher – כָּשֵׁר (kah-SHEHR). Literally, the word means prepared. The root כ.ש.ר (k.sh.r) is also used to imply that someone is naturally prepared for some task; that the person has talent or a knack for it. The word for talent or knack is כִּשָּׁרוֹן (kee-shah-ROHN). To say that a person…
השקה Perhaps you know the Hebrew word for a kiss – נְשִׁיקָה (ne-shee-KAH). To cause something to kiss – such as making a new boat “kiss” the water for the first time, or launching it – is לְהַשִּׁיק (le-hah-SHEEK). Likewise, the act of launching a new boat, product or service is הַשָּׁקָה (hah-shah-KAH). Launching our…
הצעה To suggest is לְהַצִּיע (le-hah-TSEE-ah). A suggestion is a הַצָּעָה (hah-tsah-AH). For example, אֲנִי פָּתוּחַ לְהַצָּעוֹת לְתָכְנִית הָרַדִיוֹ שֶׁלִּי (ah-NEE pah-TOO-ahkh le-hah-tsah-OHT le-tohkh-NEET hah-RAH-dee-yoh sheh-LEE) – I’m open to suggestions for my radio program. Yes, if you’ve got a piece of Israeli music that you always wished you understood – the words, the…
להרחיב If you’ve had some Hebrew education, chances are you know the Modern Hebrew word for street – רְחוֹב (re-KHOHV). The word comes from the root ר.ח.ב (r.kh.b), which is the concept of width. To expand something is לְהַרְחִיב (le-hahr-KHEEV). Likewise, the act of expanding or an expansion is הַרְחָבָה (hahr-khah-VAH). For example, אֻלְפָּן לָעִנְיָן מַרְחִיב…
להתחשב The Hebrew root ח.ש.ב (kh.sh.b) has the core meaning of thinking. It generates ancient words such as חוֹשֵׁב (khoh-SHEV) – thinking, thinker, architect… as well as contemporary words such as מַחְשֵׁב (mahkh-SHEV) – computer, and חַשָּׁב (khah-SHAV) – accountant (synonym for רואה חשבון, which we had the other week). Another use of the…
דמיון You might know how to say He looks like his father in Hebrew – הוּא דּוֹמֶה לְאַבָּא שֶׁלּו (hoo doh-MEH le-AH-bah sheh-LOH). The root of the word דומה is ד.מ.ה (d.m.h), which carries the concept of likeness or similarity. The English word imagination comes from the word image, which is a likeness. Likewise, the Hebrew word…