An Open Letter to University Presidents
5 min read
I guarantee you’ll be amazed by some of these unexpected connections.
My previous article about English words and their surprising Jewish origins left readers clamoring for more. Here’s a list of 20 additional startling examples.
Abacus has the Hebrew word for dust, avak. In ancient times, people would make calculations on a board spread with dust or sand in which they would trace numbers. The ancient Greeks changed avak to abacus (in Hebrew, a v sound and a b sound can be expressed with a similar letter). In time, abaci (the plural of abacus) began to become more sophisticated, with beads threaded onto wires.
Abracadabra might have Hebrew roots. Scholars disagree, but many linguists posit that this magical word is a corruption of the Hebrew phrase ebrah k’dabri: “I will create as I speak,” uttered by someone claiming magical powers to bring something into existence.
Alphabet comes from the first two letters of the Greek language, alpha and beta; many linguists believe these letters evolved from the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, aleph and bet.
Map derives from the Hebrew word mappa, meaning a fluttering banner (on which drawings including maps might have been drawn). Some linguists also trace the words napkin and apron to this ancient Hebrew word.
Maven, an expert, comes from the identical Yiddish word: maven, a wise figure. It evolved from the Hebrew word mavin, meaning “to understand,” which a wise expert presumably is able to do.
Sack comes from the Hebrew word for bag; it likely entered English through ancient Greek, which borrowed this Hebrew word from the Bible.
Shwa - the linguistic term for an unstressed syllable - is often thought to be a German word, but it entered German directly from the Hebrew, referring to the Hebrew vowel called shva which denotes a pause in the pronunciation of a word.
Glitch likely is derived from the Yiddish word glitshn, meaning “to slip”. (It’s related to the German word gleiten, “to glide”.) Astronaut John Glenn popularized the term in the 1960s after hearing Yiddish-speaking NASA engineers using it to describe problems.
Rube, meaning an unsophisticated, gullible person, became a popular slur starting in the 1800s in the United States. It’s a corruption of the Biblical name Reuben (Reuven in Hebrew). In the Torah, Reuben was the oldest son of the patriarch Jacob and the matriarch Leah. (Jacob was meant to marry Rachel, Leah’s sister, but his father-in-law tricked him, and wed Jacob to Leah instead. Jacob wound up marrying both sisters, and Leah felt humiliated that she’d been her husband’s second choice. When she gave birth to a boy, she named him Reu - “see” in Hebrew - Ben - “a son” in Hebrew. She hoped that by having a child, her husband might begin to love and appreciate her; see Genesis 29:32.)
Satanic comes from the Hebrew word satan, meaning an opponent or someone who plots against another. In some cultures, the word began to be used to refer to a powerful evil figure; satanic reflects that, meaning diabolically evil and destructive.
Abbot is a Christian official, but the word comes from abba, which means father in Hebrew and Aramaic, the language of the Talmud.
Amen comes from the Hebrew word for trust and steadfastness, amun. Saying amen indicates that you have faith in what was just said and affirm the sentiment. The Hebrew word amen spread to Christian and Muslim communities where it’s often incorporated into prayers.
Canon, a set of holy works such as the books of the Bible, comes from the old Hebrew word for a cane or a measuring rod (which might have been made out of a cane), canon. This eventually was used to mean any works that were “measured” and fit into a set of holy works.
Hallelujah is a combination of two Hebrew words: Hallel (“praise”) and El (a way of referring to God). Literally meaning praise the Divine, it’s a fixture in Jewish - and Christian - prayer.
Hoshana is often used as an expression of praise; it comes from the Hebrew phrase Hosha (“save”) Na (“please”). The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is closely associated with this phrase. Each day of this seven-day holiday, it’s customary to recite a beautiful prayer that includes the plea Hoshana, please save us. In fact, the final day of Sukkot is even known as Hoshana Rabba, or the great day of asking for salvation.
Camel derives directly from the Hebrew word for the animal: gamal.
Cinnamon entered English from Greek, which borrowed the word from the Hebrew kinnamon. .
Deltoid, the triangle-shaped shoulder muscle, comes from the Greek letter delta, which is shaped like a triangle and is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. The Greeks adapted that letter name from the Hebrew letter dalet, which is also the fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
Sapphire bears a remarkable relationship to the Hebrew word sapir, meaning a brilliant blue stone. Some linguists believe the word directly stems from the Hebrew. The Torah describes a Heavenly throne representing God, with a floor of “sapphire brickwork which was like the essence of the heaven in purity” (Exodus 24:10).
Sycamore comes from the Hebrew name for a mulberry tree, shikma, which is also a popular girls’ name in Israel today.
