הבנה

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ב־י־ן (b-y-n)

Action noun of the verb הֵבִין (hevín).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ha.vaˈna/

Noun

הֲבָנָה • (havaná) f (plural indefinite הֲבָנוֹת, singular construct הֲבָנַת־) [pattern: הַקְטָלָה]

1. an understanding, comprehension
2. an insight, a concept
3. an informal contract, mutual agreement
4. a reconciliation of differences
5. sympathy

Etymology 2

In modern Hebrew from the Bible, where it is a hapax. Probably borrowed from Egyptian hbnj, itself of uncertain origin (possibly from Nubian).

Cognate with Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos) and all its derivatives, including ebony and أبنوس.

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hovˈne/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hɔvˈnɛː/

Noun

הָבְנֶה • (hovnéh) m (plural indefinite הובנים / הָבְנִים)

1. ebony, ebony tree
   • Tanach, Ezekiel 27:15, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     בְּנֵי דְדָן רֹכְלַיִךְ אִיִּים רַבִּים סְחֹרַת יָדֵךְ קַרְנוֹת שֵׁן וְהָבְנִים הֵשִׁיבוּ אֶשְׁכָּרֵךְ

     Bənei Dədan rokhəláyikh, iyyim rabbim səkhorath yadekh; qarnoth shen vəhovnim heshívu eshkarekh.

     The men of Dedan were thy traffickers; many isles were the mart of thy hand; they brought thee as tribute horns of ivory and ebony.

References

• H1894 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) “הֲבָנָה”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 137a