חיים

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ח־י־ה (ḥ-y-h)

Cognate with Arabic حَيَاة (ḥayāh).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew)

  (all senses except proper noun): IPA^(key): /χaˈjim/

  (proper noun): IPA^(key): /ˈχa.jim/ (due to influence from Yiddish)

• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /xaˈjim/, [ˈxa.jim], [ˈxa.jɪm]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħaˈjim/
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħæˈjim/
• Rhymes: -im

Adjective

חַיִּים • (khayím)

1. masculine plural indefinite form of חַי (kháy)

Noun

חַיִּים • (khayím) m pl (plural construct חַיֵּי־) (plural only)

1. life (period during which one is alive)
   • Tanach, Genesis 23:1, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה׃

     vayihyú khayéi sará me'á shaná v'esrím shaná v'shéva' shaním sh'néi khayéi sará.
     wayyihyū ḥayyē śārā mēʾā šānā wəʿeśrīm šānā wəšéḇaʿ šānīm šənē ḥayyē śārā.

     And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.

2. life (state of being alive)
3. life (the process of life, all biological life)

Declension

Declension of חַיִּים

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
plural	indefinite	חַיִּים	first	חַיַּי		חַיֵּינוּ
	definite	הַחַיִּים	second	חַיֶּיךָ	חַיַּיִךְ	חַיֵּיכֶם	חַיֵּיכֶן
	construct	חַיֵּי־	third	חַיָּיו	חַיֶּיהָ	חַיֵּיהֶם	חַיֵּיהֶן

Antonyms

• מוות / מָוֶת (mávet)

Derived terms

• אורח חיים (óraḥ ḥayím, “lifestyle”)
• אלה החיים (éle haḥayím, “c'est la vie”)
• בְּחַיֶּיךָ (bekhayékha)
• בעל חיים (bá'al ḥayím, “animal”)
• החיים הטובים (haḥayím hatovím, “the good life”)
• חיי נצח (ḥayéi nétzaḥ, “eternal life”)
• חיי שעה (ḥayéi sha'á, “living the now”)
• חיים פרטיים m (khayím pratiyím)
• לחיים (leḥáyim, “Cheers”)
• מפעל חיים (mif'ál ḥayím, “life's work”)
• סיפור חיים (sippúr ḥayím, “life story”)
• ספר החיים (séfer haḥayím, “book of life”)
• על החיים ועל המוות ('al haḥayím ve'ál hamávet, “Here goes”)
• עשה חיים ('asá ḥayím, “had a ball”)
• רָמַת חַיִּים (ramát-khayím)
• תוחלת חיים (toḥélet ḥayím, “life expectancy”)

 

Proper noun

חַיִּים • (kháyim) m

1. a male given name, Haim or Chaim

Verb

חַיִּים • (khayím)

1. living, are living, live: masculine plural present participle and present tense of חי (khay).

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew חַיִּים (khayím, “life”).

Noun

חיים • (khayem) m

1. (especially in the context of religion) life

   Synonym: לעבן (lebn)

Related terms

• לחיים (lekhayem)

Proper noun

חיים • (khayem) m

1. a male given name: Chaim