להלחם With the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War in season, I figured that a good Hebrew word for you to know is to go to battle – לְהִלָּחֵם (le-hee-lah-KHEM). For example, יִשְׂרָאֵל נִלְחְמָה בְּמִצְרָיִם (yees-rah-EHL neel-kheh-MAH be-meets-RAH-yeem) – Israel battled (with) Egypt. Note the root – ל.ח.מ (l.kh.m). It’s the same as מִלְחָמָה…
מסגרת The Hebrew word for picture frame is מִסְגֶּרֶת (mees-GEH-ret). Its root is ס.ג.ר (s.g.r), the concept of closing – as a picture frame is something that encloses a picture. This particular formation of a noun based on a verb root appears in other words as well, such as מִקְלַחַת (meek-LAH-khaht) – shower, and מִקְלֶדֶת (meek-LEH-det)…
נמל תעופה There are two ways to say airport in Hebrew. One is the literal translation – נְמַל תְּעוּפָה (ne-MAHL te-oo-FAH), where נמל means port of (pronounced נָמֵל – nah-MEHL – when it’s just port without of), and תעופה means flight or aviation. The other way to say it translates from the lesser-used English word, airfield –…
להפרד This one’s for Eva – thanks for the request! Most people who have even the most rudimentary familiarity with Hebrew know that שָׁלוֹם (shah-LOHM) means both hello and goodbye (and, literally, peace). But to say goodbye, as in to part ways with someone – is a substantially different expression in Hebrew. The word is…
שטיח The Hebrew word for carpet or rug is שָׁטִיח (shah-TEE-ahkh). It’s related to the word for area – שֶׁטַח (SHEH-tahkh), as a שטיח is something that covers a particular שטח. Similarly, to prostrate oneself or to sprawl out – for example, over the grave of a righteous person, as many are wont to do – is לְהִשְׁתַּטֵּח (le-heesh-tah-TEH-ahkh)….
זכיתי… This one’s for my dear Mom. Mom asked me how to say honor as in It’s been an honor to have met you. I started brainstorming out loud, saying something with the word כָּבוֹד (kah-VOHD), which means honor and respect. So Mom said, “no, that’s a literal translation.” She was right – what’s needed is…
תסריט You may know the word for movie or film – סֶרֶט (SEH-ret). The word works both for cinematic creations as well as a ribbon, which is a kind of a film. The word for screenplay is תַּסְרִיט (tahs-REET). Note the three-letter root embedded in the word – ס.ר.ט. This structure – with a ת…
פקק Onomatopoeia exists in every language, most likely. It’s those words that sound like the sound they make. For example birds chirp – and a chirp makes a chirping sound. Ducks quack, tight air whizzes by, etc. Hebrew is no exception. The Hebrew word for a plug or a cork – that which makes the pkak sound…
שבע If you’re familiar with the Jewish blessing following a meal involving bread, you almost certainly know the phrase (Biblical verse) וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבַעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ (ve-ah-khahl-TAH ve-sah-VAH-tah oo-veh-rahkh-TAH…) – and you shall eat and be sated, and you shall bless (G-d)… To say I’m full, as in I’ve eaten enough, is אֲנִי שָׂבֵע (ah-NEE…
לחגוג The Arabic word for pilgrimage is حج (hahj). The Hebrew word for holiday – particularly that which involves a pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) – is חַג (hahg). Arabic and Hebrew are very closely related languages. You can see the common concept in these two nearly-identical words. At some point, they split off,…
נתיב This one’s for Tehillah. You too can request a word by filling out this simple form. The Hebrew word for a lane on a road is נָתִיב (nah-TEEV). The Ayalon Highway is called נְתִיבֵי הָאַיָּלוֹן (neh-tee-VEH-ee hah-ah-yah-LOHN) in Hebrew – the “Ayalon Lanes”. A synonym for נתיב, also used, is מַסְלוּל (mahs-LOOL). …