שמיר

Hebrew

Root
שׁ־מ־ר (š-m-r)

Etymology 1

Alteration of שֻׁמָּר (šummā́r, “fennel”)

Noun

שָׁמִיר • (shamír) m

1. dill (herb)
   • Tanach, Isaiah 32:13, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     עַל אַדְמַת עַמִּי קוֹץ, שָׁמִיר תַּעֲלֶה; כִּי עַל־כָּל־בָּתֵי מָשׂוֹשׂ, קִרְיָה עַלִּיזָה.

     'al admát 'ammí qotz, shamír ta'lé; ki 'al-kol-batḗ masós, qiryá 'allizá.

     For the land of my people, whereon thorns and briers come up; Yea, for all the houses of joy, and the joyous city.

Etymology 2

Unknown, possibly in an unknown fashion extended from Akkadian 𒉌𒌓𒌑 (^NA₄U₂ /⁠šammu⁠/, “emery, corundum, adamant”), also present in Egyptian jsmr, smr if that really means “emery”, and in Ancient Greek σμύρῐς (smúris, “emery-powder”), loaned likely from a Semitic cognate of the Hebrew.

Noun

שָׁמִיר • (shamír) m

1. emery
   • Tanach, Ezekiel 3:9, with translation of the New American Standard Bible:

     כְּשָׁמִיר חָזָק מִצֹּר נָתַתִּי מִצְחֶךָ

     kəshamír ḥazáq mittzór natátti mitzḥécha

     Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead

2. (mythology) mythical stone, or possibly worm, that could cut through or disintegrate any substance it came in contact with, adamant

Descendants

• → Aramaic:

  Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Jewish Literary Aramaic: שָׁמִירָא (šāmīrā)

  Classical Syriac: ܫܡܝܪܐ (šāmīrā)

  • → Arabic: سَامُور (sāmūr)
• → Old Church Slavonic: шамиръ (šamirŭ) (mythical bird mentioned in Barsov Palea)

References

• “שמיר” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• שבת ריחני on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Yiddish

Etymology 1

Deverbal from שמירן (shmirn). Cognate to German Schmiere. Cognate with German schmieren, English smear.

Noun

שמיר • (shmir) m, plural שמירן (shmirn)

1. batch of things that go together
2. aggregate, smear, spread
3. bribe
4. schmear, the whole package, the entire deal

Related terms

• שמירן (shmirn, “to smear, grease; to bribe”)

Descendants

• → English: shmear

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

שמיר • (shmir)

1. inflection of שמירן (shmirn):
   1. first-person singular present
   2. imperative singular