מצה

Hebrew

Etymology

Uncertain. It has traditionally been linked to מָצַץ (“to suck”) (with a literal meaning of "something that is sucked up or drained [out]", presumably referring to the leaven), but this derivation is not without its problems. Various alternate etymologies have been suggested, including that it may be a non-Semitic loanword (compare Ancient Greek μᾶζα (mâza, “barley-bread or cake”)) or that it may be

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from the root נ־צ־ה relating to haste (meaning "something that is prepared in haste").[1][2]

.מצה מרובעת
Root
מ־צ־ץ (m-ṣ-ṣ)

Pronunciation
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /maˈt͡sa/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

מַצָּה • (matsá) f (plural indefinite מַצּוֹת, singular construct מַצַּת־, plural construct מַצּוֹת־) [pattern: קַטְלָה]

  1. matzo
    המצה נחשבת למאכל יהודי, ובחג הפסח מצווה לאכלה ולהתנזר מחמץ.
    The matzo is considered to be a Jewish food, and on Passover one is commanded to eat it and to abstain from chametz.

Derived terms

Descendants
  • → Yiddish: מצה (matse)
    • → Dutch: matze

Noun

מַצָּה • (matsá) f

  1. (biblical) dispute, quarrel, strife
    • Tanach, Proverbs 17:19, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      אֹהֵב פֶּשַׁע אֹהֵב מַצָּה
      'ohév pésha' 'ohév matsá
      ʾōhēḇ péšaʿ ʾōhēḇ maṣṣā
      He loveth transgression that loveth strife;

References
  1. Ludwig Koehler et al. ed., מַצָּה, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament vol. 2 (Leiden 1995) pp. 621-622.
  2. Ernest Klein, מַצָּה, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary Of The Hebrew Language (Jerusalem 1987) p. 374.
  • “מצה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

Anagrams

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew מַצָּה (matsá).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈmat͡sə/

Noun

מצה • (matse) f, plural מצות (matses)

  1. matzo

Derived terms

Descendants
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