אות

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ot"

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
א־ו־ת‎ (ʾ-w-t)

From Proto-Semitic *awayat-, cognate with Aramaic אתא‎ (ʾāṯāh, “sign”) and Arabic آية‎ (ʔāya, “sign”).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew, Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)ot/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ɔs/, /ɔɪs/
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔøθ/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔoθ/
• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔoːt/, [ʔoːθ]

• Audio (IL)

  (file)

Noun

אוֹת • (ot) m (plural indefinite אוֹתוֹת‎)

1. a sign, an omen
   • Exodus 31:17

     ‏בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹת הִוא לְעֹלָם:‎‎

     bēnī ū-vēn bənē yiśrāʾēl ʾōṯ hī lə-ʿōlām.

     It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever.

2. a signal, a cue

Derived terms

• יַחַס אוֹת לְרַעַשׁ‎ (yákhas ót l'rá'ash)

Noun

אוֹת • (ot) f (plural indefinite אוֹתִיּוֹת‎)

1. letter (symbol)
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Avot 6:3:

     ‏הַלּוֹמֵד מֵחֲבֵרוֹ פֶּרֶק אֶחָד אוֹ הֲלָכָה אַחַת אוֹ פָסוּק אֶחָד אוֹ דִבּוּר אֶחָד אוֹ אֲפִלּוּ אוֹת אַחַת, צָרִיךְ לִנְהוֹג בּוֹ כָבוֹד‎

     Hal-lōmēḏ mē-ḥăvērō pereq ʾeḥāḏ ʾō hălāḵā ʾaḥaṯ ʾō fāsūq ʾeḥāḏ ʾō ḏibbūr ʾeḥāḏ ʾō ʾǎfillū ʾōṯ ʾaḥaṯ, ṣārīḵ li-nhōḡ bō ḵāvōḏ.

     Whoever learns from his fellow one chapter or one halakha or one verse or one word, or even one letter, should treat him with respect.

Derived terms

• אוֹת כְּתָב‎
• אוֹת דְּפוּס‎
• הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הַקְּטַנּוֹת‎ (ha'otiyót hak'tanót)

References

• “אות” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• אות‎ on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Anagrams

• אתו‎

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew אות‎ (ot).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔs/

Noun

אות • (os) m or n, plural אותיות‎ (oysyes)

1. letter (symbol used for writing)

   ‏זאָגן די אותיות פֿון‎ ― zogn di oysyes fun ― to spell (a word) (literally, “name the letters”)

Further reading

• Uriel Weinreich (1977), “אויסלייג”, in Modern English-Yiddish, Yiddish-English Dictionary, New York: Schocken Books, page 781
• Uriel Weinreich (1977), “אות”, in Modern English-Yiddish, Yiddish-English Dictionary, New York: Schocken Books, page 765