אדם
Aramaic
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʔɑdɑm/
Hebrew
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -am
- (Modern Israeli Hebrew, Sephardi Hebrew) IPA(key): /aˈdam/
- (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA(key): /ɔˈdɔm/, [ˈɔ.dɔm]
- (Syrian Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔaˈdam/
- (Yemenite Hebrew, Tiberian Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔɔˈðɔm/
- (Biblical Hebrew) IPA(key): /ʔaːˈðaːm/
(file)
Etymology 1
Root |
---|
א־ד־ם (ʾ-d-m) |
Comparable to Phoenician 𐤀𐤃𐤌 (ʾdm, “man, earthling”), Ugaritic 𐎀𐎄𐎎 (ảdm, “man; red earth, red ochre”), Old South Arabian 𐩱𐩵𐩣 (ʾdm, “vassals, subjects”), Ge'ez ዶም (dom, “slave”), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒄠𒈬 (a-da-am-mu /adamu/, “blood”), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈠𒌈 (a-da-ma-tum /adamātu/, “dark red earth or dye”), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈬 (a-da-mu /adamu/, “a red garment”), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈬 (a-da-mu /adamu/, “an important or noble person”). The meaning range points to these words being extensions from Proto-Semitic *dam- (“blood”), compare the Palestinian Aramaic forms of it אדם / אידם / ܐܕܡ (ʾəḏem, “blood”). The meaning development could be any of the following:
- “blood” → “red earth”, “red ochre” → “earthling”;
- “blood” → “man”, as blood is a main ingredient of humans;
- “blood” → “red earth”, “red ochre” → “the dye to paint idols” → hence “an idol” → “an effigy, a likeness” → “a man”;
- “blood” → “blood sacrifice to appease an idol” → hence “an idol” → “an effigy, a likeness” → “a man”;
- “blood” → “red” → “to show red blood in the face, e.g. to blush” → “a human”.
Compare Arabic دُمْيَة (dumya, “statue, idol; effigy, likeness; doll, puppet”), دَمَّ (damma, “to bedaub”).
Noun
אָדָם • (adám) m [pattern: קָטָל]
- man, human
- אָדָם לְאָדָם זְאֵב ― adám l'adám z'év ― Man is a wolf to man. (cf. homō hominī lupus)
Synonyms
- אִישׁ ('ish), בֶּן־אָדָם (ben-adám), בֶּן־אֱנוֹשׁ (ben-enósh), בֶּן־תְּמוּתָה
Derived terms
- אָדָם לְאָדָם זְאֵב
- בשלושה דברים אדם ניכר: בכוסו, בכיסו, ובכעסו (bishloshá d'varím adám nikár: b'khosó, b'khisó, uv'kha`asó)
- זְכוּת אָדָם (z'khút-adám)
- מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם
Descendants
Derived terms
- בֶּן־אָדָם (ben-adám)
References
- chapter DM, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
- H120 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Adjective
אָדֹם • (adóm) (feminine אֲדֻמָּה, masculine plural אֲדֻמִּים, feminine plural אֲדֻמּוֹת)
- defective spelling of אדום ('adóm, “red”).