מסה

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin massa.

Noun

מָסָה • (mása) f (plural indefinite מָסוֹת, singular construct מָסַת־, plural construct מָסוֹת־)

1. mass, bulk
   • 2022 November 13, Oded Carmeli, “אסטרונומים גילו עצם מסתורי בחלל; ייתכן שהעצם הוא "כוכב קוורקים מוזר"‏ [Astronomers discovered an unusual object in space; it may be a ‘strange quark star’]”, in www.space.gov.il‎^[1]:

     אסטרונומים הצליחו לחשב את המסה של כוכב הנויטרונים J1731-347, המרוחק 8,150 שנות אור מכדור הארץ – ומצאו שמסתו היא רק 0.7 ממסת השמש.

     Astronomers managed to calculate the mass of the neutron star J1731-347, which is 8150 light-years away from Earth—and found that its mass is only 0.7 the mass of the Sun.

Usage notes

The Academy of Hebrew Language prescribes a qamatz as the first vowel of the word. Older dictionaries give a patach instead.

Derived terms

• בִּיּוֹמַסָּה (biyomása)

References

• Klein, Ernest (1987) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[2], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 359
• “מסה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Etymology 2

Root
נ־ס־ה (n-s-h)

The third sense is a calque of French essai (literally “trial”).

Noun

מַסָּה • (masá) f (plural indefinite מַסּוֹת, singular construct מַסַּת־, plural construct מַסּוֹת־) [pattern: מַקְטֵל]

1. (Biblical Hebrew) test, trial, temptation
   • Tanach, Job 9:23, with translation of the King James Version:

     אִם־שׁוֹט יָמִית פִּתְאֹם לְמַסַּת נְקִיִּם יִלְעָג׃

     If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.

2. (Biblical Hebrew) miracle
3. (rare) essay
4. (rare, dated) test (exam)

Derived terms

• מַסַּאי (masái, “essayist”)
• מַסָּאִי (masaí, “essayistic”)

Proper noun

מַסָּה • (masá) f (singular construct מַסַּת־) [pattern: מַקְטֵל]

1. (Biblical Hebrew) Massah (a biblical place)
   • Tanach, Exodus 17:7, with translation of the King James Version:

     וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם מַסָּה וּמְרִיבָה עַל־רִיב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל נַסֹּתָם אֶת־יְהוָה לֵאמֹר הֲיֵשׁ יְהוָה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם־אָיִן׃

     And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

References

• H4531 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[3], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 359
• “מסה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language
• Article by the Hebrew Academy about the word's meanings
• H4532 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 3

Root
מ־ס־ה (m-s-h)

Cognate to Classical Syriac ܡܣܵܐ (məsāʾ, “to decay”), Aramaic מְסָא (“to melt”). See the root for more.

Verb

מָסָה • (masá) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction, passive counterpart נִמְסָה)

1. (Medieval Hebrew, intransitive, rare) to melt, dissolve
   • 13th C., Yechiel of Paris, וְאֶת נָוִי חַטָּאתִי:

     זֶה יִסְפּוֹד בְּחִיל לֵבָב יִמְסֶה

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

Conjugation of מָסָה (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לִמְסוֹת action noun: מְסִיָּה passive participle: מָסוּי
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	מָסִיתִי		מָסִינוּ
	second	מָסִיתָ	מָסִית	מְסִיתֶם1	מְסִיתֶן1
	third	מָסָה	מָסְתָה	מָסוּ
present		מוֹסֶה	מוֹסָה	מוֹסִים	מוֹסוֹת
future	first	אֶמְסֶה		נִמְסֶה
	second	תִּמְסֶה	תִּמְסִי	תִּמְסוּ	תִּמְסֶינָה2
	third	יִמְסֶה	תִּמְסֶה	יִמְסוּ	תִּמְסֶינָה2
imperative		מְסֵה	מְסִי	מְסוּ	מְסֶינָה2
notes		Pronounced מָסִיתֶם and מָסִיתֶן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Verb

מיסה / מִסָּה • (misá) third-singular masculine past (pi'el construction)

1. defective spelling of מיסה (misá, “to melt”)

References

• “מסה” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 2 of 3 (ל to צ), →ISBN.
• H4529 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[4], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 359

Etymology 4

Noun

מִסָה • (mísa) f

1. Defective spelling of מיסה (mísa, “mass, missa”)

Etymology 5

Related to Aramaic מִסַּת and Classical Syriac ܡܸܣܲܬ (messat), both meaning “sufficiency”. According to Gesenius, a contraction of מִכְסָה (mikhsá, “quota”).

Noun

מִסָּה • (misá) f (singular construct מִסַּת־)

1. (Biblical Hebrew, hapax) sufficiency, plenty
   • Tanach, Deuteronomy 16:10, with translation of the King James Version:

     וְעָשִׂיתָ חַג שָׁבֻעֹות לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִסַּת נִדְבַת יָדְךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּתֵּן כַּאֲשֶׁר יְבָרֶכְךָ יהוה אֱלֹהֶיךָ׃

     And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

     (literally, “according to the sufficiency of the freewill offering of thine hand”)

Usage notes

As with its Aramaic and Syriac relatives, it seems that this word is exclusively used in the construct state.

References

• H4530 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[5], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 359