Hebrew

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Etymology 1

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Root
א־נ־שׁ (ʾ-n-sh)
7 terms

From 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 merged into Hebrew שׁ. See female and woman for similar convergent developments involving influence or analogy.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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אִשָּׁה (isháf (plural indefinite נָשִׁים, singular construct אֵשֶׁת־, plural construct נְשׁוֹת־ or נְשֵׁי־, masculine counterpart אִישׁ) [pattern: קִטְלָה]

  1. woman (an adult female human)
  2. wife (a married woman, especially in relation to her spouse)
  3. (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
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Synonyms
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References
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  • 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

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Related to אֵשׁ (ésh, fire), which is from Proto-Semitic *ʾiš-.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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אִשֶּׁה (ishéf (plural indefinite אִשִּׁים, singular construct אִשֵּׁה־, plural construct אִשֵּׁי־)

  1. (biblical) burnt offering
Synonyms
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References
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  • 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

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Hebrew אִשָּׁה (ishá, woman; wife)

Pronunciation

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Noun

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אשה (ishef, plural נשים (noshem)

  1. 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

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This word is mainly used in reference to traditions and religious law, especially ones specific to women. The word is therefore also usually formal.

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