Hebrew edit

Etymology edit

Root
ר־ק־ע (r-q-ʿ)

From the root ר־ק־ע (r-k-').

Pronunciation 1 edit

Verb edit

רָקַע (raká) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

  1. to stomp
    • 1973, Svika Pick, הרקדן האוטומטי (The Automatic Dancer):
      הנה הוא שומע את המנגינה / מתחבר כמו אוטומט לזרם / בגופו רוקע על האדמה / הוא נמצא עכשיו בתוך הקצב
      There he hears the melody / connecting like an automatic / with his body [he] stamps on the ground / he is now within the rhythm
Conjugation edit

Pronunciation 2 edit

Noun edit

רֶקַע (rékam (plural indefinite רְקָעִים, singular construct רֶקַע־, plural construct רִקְעֵי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

  1. (literally) A background: the background of a picture (or the like).
  2. (figuratively) A background, an ambient environment.
    מוזיקת רקעmuzikát-rékabackground music
    עם מוזיקה ברקעim múzika barékawith music in the background
    • 2005, אסף גברון (translator), Audrey Niffenegger (English author), “אשתו של הנוסע בזמן” (The Time Traveler’s Wife), Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir (publishers), →ISBN, page 398
      כשקנדריק מפסיק לדבר, פתאום נשמעים רעשי הרקע של הבניין.[1]
      k'shekéndrik mafsík l'dabér, pit'óm nishma'ím ra'ashéi-haréka shel habinyan.
      When Kendrick stops talking the background noises of the building are suddenly apparent.
  3. (figuratively) A background: a person's heritage, upbringing, and so on.
    הרקע הסוציו-אקונומי של המשפחהharéka hasotsyo-ekonómi shél hamishpakháthe family's socioeconomic background
  4. (figuratively) A basis: an underlying situation or cause.
  5. (computing) A background, a desktop background.
    רקעים למחשבr'ka'ím l'makhshévdesktop backgrounds (literally backgrounds for a computer)
    רקעי מחשבrik'éi-makhshévdesktop backgrounds (literally computer backgrounds)
Usage notes edit
  • (background, ambient environment): As may be seen in the examples above, the noun רקע (réka) very often functions either as an attributive modifier, or as the object of the preposition ב־ (b'-, in). In this respect it is similar to English background.
  • (basis): Note that על רקע [] (al réka, on/against a [] background) typically has a much stronger implication of causation than an English-speaker might expect.
Derived terms edit

Pronunciation 3 edit

Verb edit

רִקֵּעַ (rikéa') third-singular masculine past (pi'el construction)

  1. defective spelling of ריקע.

Pronunciation 4 edit

Verb edit

רֻקַּע (ruká) third-singular masculine past (pi'el construction)

  1. defective spelling of רוקע.

References edit

  1. ^ English from: Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Harcourt (2004), →ISBN, page 464.

Anagrams edit