אתרוג

Hebrew

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Root
ת־ר־ג (t-r-g)
1 term

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Persian [script needed] (turung), from Sanskrit मातुलुङ्ग (mātuluṅga), ultimately from Dravidian. Compare Persian ترنج (toronj), Turkish turunç, Arabic تُرُنْج (turunj), أُتْرُجّ (ʔutrujj), Aramaic תְּרוֹגָא (tərōḡā), אֶתְרוֹגָא (ʾeṯrōḡā), Tamil மாதுளம் (mātuḷam), மாதுளங்காய் (mātuḷaṅkāy, “pomegranate, citron lemon”).

Political meaning comes from the custom of using etrogs for the holiday of Sukkot, during which they are often kept safe in a rigid container, but after which they are often discarded.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

אֶתְרוֹג • (etróg) m (plural indefinite אֶתְרוֹגִים, singular construct אֶתְרוֹג־, plural construct אֶתְרוֹגֵי־)

1. citron (the fruit of a citron tree)
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah. Sukkah, section 4.7:

     מִיַּד הַתִּינוֹקוֹת שׁוֹמְטִין אֶת לוּלְבֵיהֶן וְאוֹכְלִין אֶתְרוֹגֵיהֶן.

     Mi-yád ha-tinoqót shomṭín et lulavéihen v-okhlín etrogéihen.

     Immediately, the children would release their palm branches and eat their citrons.

   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud. Kiddushin, 70a:

     אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל כׇּל הָאוֹמֵר אֶתְרוּנְגָּא תִּילְתָּא בְּרָמוּת רוּחָא אוֹ אֶתְרוֹג כִּדְקַרְיוּהּ רַבָּנַן אוֹ אֶתְרוֹגָא דְּאָמְרִי אִינָשֵׁי

     Amár Shmuél: kol ha-omér etrúnga tiltá b-ramút rúḥa. O etróg ki-d-qaryúh rabbanán, o etróga d-amrí inashéi.

     Said Shmuel: All who call a citron an etrunga have a third of a measure of haughtiness. Either call it an etrog, as the rabbis call it, or an etroga, as the people do.

2. (politics) In Israeli politics, a politician whom journalists refrain from criticizing until after a certain date or issue has passed.

Declension

Declension of אֶתְרוֹג

	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
				m	f	m	f
singular	indefinite	אֶתְרוֹג	first	אֶתְרוֹגִי		אֶתְרוֹגֵנוּ
	definite	הָאֶתְרוֹג	second	אֶתְרוֹגְךָ	אֶתְרוֹגֵךְ	אֶתְרוֹגְכֶם	אֶתְרוֹגְכֶן
	construct	אֶתְרוֹג־	third	אֶתְרוֹגוֹ	אֶתְרוֹגָהּ	אֶתְרוֹגָם	אֶתְרוֹגָן
plural	indefinite	אֶתְרוֹגִים	first	אתרוגיי / אֶתְרוֹגַי		אֶתְרוֹגֵינוּ
	definite	הָאֶתְרוֹגִים	second	אֶתְרוֹגֶיךָ	אתרוגייך / אֶתְרוֹגַיִךְ	אֶתְרוֹגֵיכֶם	אֶתְרוֹגֵיכֶן
	construct	אֶתְרוֹגֵי־	third	אֶתְרוֹגָיו	אֶתְרוֹגֶיהָ	אֶתְרוֹגֵיהֶם	אֶתְרוֹגֵיהֶן

Derived terms

• אתרוגנות
• לְאַתְרֵג

Descendants

• → English: etrog

References

• “אתרוג” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language
• "אתרוג" in the Noun Declension Tables of the Academy of Hebrew Language
• אתרוגנות, ("Etroganut"), HaAyin HaShevi'it, [Encyclopedic Lexicon of Media and Journalism] (in Hebrew)

Further reading

• אתרוג on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew אֶתְרוֹג (etróg).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛsʁəɡ/

Noun

אתרוג • (esreg) m, plural אתרוגים (esroygim)

1. citron (fruit)