נחש

Aramaic

Verb

נחש • (transliteration needed)

1. to divine

Hebrew

Root
נ־ח־שׁ (n-kh-sh)
4 terms

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *naḥaš- (“lion”). Compare Arabic حَنَش (ḥanaš, “snake”), Akkadian 𒌨𒈤𒊭𒆕𒋡𒊑 (nēšu ša qaqqari, “snake, chameleon^?”, literally “lion of the ground”) and Ugaritic 𐎐𐎈𐎌 (nḥš, “snake”).

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /naːˈħaːʃ/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /nɔːˈħɔːɔʃ/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /naˈχaʃ/

Noun

נָחָשׁ • (nakhásh) m (plural indefinite נְחָשִׁים, singular construct נְחַשׁ־, plural construct נַחֲשֵׁי־) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. snake (any of the suborder Serpentes of legless reptile with long, thin bodies and fork-shaped tongues)

Descendants

• → Hawaiian: naheka (learned)

References

• H5175 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Further reading

• נחש on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Etymology 2

Possibly derived from the same root as נָחָשׁ, though some scholars propose a connection to לָחַשׁ (“to whisper”).

Pronunciation

• (noun):
  • (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈnaħaʃ/
  • (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈnaːħaʃ/
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈnaχaʃ/
• (verb):
  • (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /niˈħeːʃ/
  • (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /niːˈħeːeʃ/
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /niˈχeʃ/

Noun

נַחַשׁ • (nákhash) m [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. magic, sorcery, spell, enchantment, augury

Verb

נִחֵשׁ • (nikhésh)

1. defective spelling of ניחש