אשה
Hebrew
editEtymology 1
editFrom Proto-Semitic *ʔanθ-at-. Cognate with Ugaritic 𐎀𐎘𐎚 (ảṯt), Aramaic אִנְתְּתָא (ʾintəṯā), אִיתְּתָא (ʾittəṯā), Arabic أُنْثَى (ʔunṯā).
False cognate of Hebrew אִישׁ (ísh, “man”), as Semitic š and ṯ merged into Hebrew שׁ. See female and woman for similar convergent developments involving influence or analogy.
Alternative forms
editPronunciation
edit- (Biblical Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔiʃˈʃa/
- (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔiʃˈʃɔː/, [ʔiʃˈʃɔː]
- (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔiʃˈʃɔ/, [ʔiʃˈʃɔː]
- (Persian Hebrew) IPA(key): /(ʔ)iʃˈʃɒ/
- (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA(key): /iˈʃɔ/
- (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /(ʔ)iˈʃa/
Audio: (file)
Noun
editאִשָּׁה • (ishá) f (plural indefinite נָשִׁים, singular construct אֵשֶׁת־, plural construct נְשׁוֹת־ or נְשֵׁי־, masculine counterpart אִישׁ) [pattern: קִטְלָה]
- woman (an adult female human)
- wife (a married woman, especially in relation to her spouse)
- (Biblical Hebrew) a female animal
- Tanach, Genesis 7:2, with translation of the King James Version:
- מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה תִּקַּח לְךָ שִׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּמִן הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא טְהֹרָה הִוא שְׁנַיִם אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ׃
- Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Declension
editisolated forms | with possessive pronouns | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number: | State: | form | Person: | singular | plural | ||
m | f | m | f | ||||
singular | indefinite | אִשָּׁה | first | אִשְׁתִּי | אִשְׁתֵּנוּ | ||
definite | הָאִשָּׁה | second | אִשְׁתְּךָ | אִשְׁתֵּךְ | אִשְׁתְּכֶם | אִשְׁתְּכֶן | |
construct | אֵשֶׁת־ | third | אִשְׁתּוֹ | אִשְׁתָּהּ | אִשְׁתָּם | אִשְׁתָּן | |
plural | indefinite | נָשִׁים | first | נשותיי / נְשׁוֹתַי | נְשׁוֹתֵינוּ | ||
definite | הַנָּשִׁים | second | נְשׁוֹתֶיךָ | נשותייך / נְשׁוֹתַיִךְ | נְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם | נְשׁוֹתֵיכֶן | |
construct | נְשׁוֹת־ | third | נְשׁוֹתָיו | נְשׁוֹתֶיהָ | נְשׁוֹתָם | נְשׁוֹתָן | |
plural | indefinite | נָשִׁים | first | נשיי / נָשַׁי | נָשֵׁינוּ | ||
definite | הַנָּשִׁים | second | נָשֶׁיךָ | נשייך / נָשַׁיִךְ | נְשֵׁיכֶם | נְשֵׁיכֶן | |
construct | נְשֵׁי־ | third | נָשָׁיו | נָשֶׁיהָ | נְשֵׁיהֶם | נְשֵׁיהֶן |
Synonyms
edit- (wife): אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ (éshet ísh)
References
edit- H802 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 233
- “אשה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language
Etymology 2
editRelated to אֵשׁ (ésh, “fire”), which is from Proto-Semitic *ʾiš-.
Pronunciation
edit- (Biblical Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔiʃˈʃe/
- (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔiʃˈʃɛ/, [ʔiʃˈʃɛː]
- (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔiʃˈʃa/, [ʔiʃˈʃæː]
- (Persian Hebrew) IPA(key): /(ʔ)iʃˈʃe/
- (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA(key): /iˈʃɛ/
- (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /(ʔ)iˈʃe/
Noun
editאִשֶּׁה • (ishé) f (plural indefinite אִשִּׁים, singular construct אִשֵּׁה־, plural construct אִשֵּׁי־)
Synonyms
edit- עוֹלָה (olá)
References
edit- H801 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, pages 194-195
Yiddish
editAlternative forms
edit- אישה (ishe)
Etymology
editBorrowed from Hebrew אִשָּׁה (ishá, “woman; wife”)
Pronunciation
editNoun
editאשה • (ishe) f, plural נשים (noshem)
- woman (usually Jewish)
- 1967, Chaim Grade, צמח אַטלאַס [Tsemakh Atlas], page 59:
- ס׳האָט אויסגעקוקט אַז די אשה האָט אויך בדעה אויסצושטרעקן די פרעמדע מאַנסלײַט איר האַנט, נאָר זייערע רוגזהדיקע פּנימער האַלטן זי אָפּ.
- s'hot oysgekukt az di ishe hot oykh bedeye oystsushtrekn di fremde manslayt ir hant, nor zeyere rugzedike penemer haltn zi op.
- It was seen that the woman also planned to shake hands with the strange men, but their angry faces stopped her.
Usage notes
editThis word is mainly used in reference to traditions and religious law, especially ones specific to women. The word is therefore also usually formal.
Related terms
edit- איש (ish)
- Hebrew terms belonging to the root א־נ־שׁ
- Hebrew terms inherited from Proto-Semitic
- Hebrew terms derived from Proto-Semitic
- Hebrew terms with IPA pronunciation
- Hebrew terms with audio pronunciation
- Hebrew lemmas
- Hebrew nouns
- Hebrew terms in the pattern קִטְלָה
- Hebrew feminine nouns with plurals ending in ־ים
- Hebrew feminine nouns
- Biblical Hebrew
- Hebrew terms with quotations
- he:Bible
- he:Female
- he:Female family members
- he:Marriage
- Yiddish terms borrowed from Hebrew
- Yiddish terms derived from Hebrew
- Yiddish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Yiddish lemmas
- Yiddish nouns
- Yiddish feminine nouns
- Yiddish terms with quotations