אביונה

Hebrew

אֲבִיּוֹנָה

Alternative forms

• אֶבְיֹונָה (ʔɛḇyoná, evyoná) (Mishnaic Hebrew)

Etymology

Diminutive of חָבִית (ḥɔḇiṯ, khavít, “cask, barrel”), owing to its shape. The lewd meaning is a late misinterpretation of textual sources after the root א־ב־ה (a-b-h).

Pronunciation

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Noun

אֲבִיּוֹנָה • (ʔăḇiyyonɔ, aviyoná) f

1. (Biblical Hebrew, Medieval Hebrew) caperberry, fruit of the caperbush
2. (rare) orgasm

   Synonym: אוֹרְגַּזְמָה (orgázma)

References

• Delitzsch, Franz, Keil, Carl Friedrich (1875) Biblischer Commentar über das Alte Testament. Vierter Theil. Poetische Bücher. Vierter Band: Hoheslied und Koheleth‎^[1] (in German), Erste edition, Leipzig: Dörffling und Franke, pages 400–402
• H35 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Löw, Immanuel (1928) Die Flora der Juden‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, page 326