חיים

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ח־י־ה‎

From the root ח־י־ה‎ (ḥ-y-).

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) m pl

1. living, alive: masculine plural of חַי‎

Noun

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

1. life (period during which one is alive)
   • 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

Terms derived from the word חיים

• בעל חיים‎ (bá'al ḥayím, “animal”)
• ספר החיים‎ (séfer haḥayím, “book of life”)
• עשה חיים‎ ('asá ḥayím, “had a ball”)
• אורח חיים‎ (óraḥ ḥayím, “lifestyle”)
• החיים הטובים‎ (haḥayím hatovím, “the good life”)
• אלה החיים‎ (éle haḥayím, “c'est la vie”)

• לחיים‎ (leḥáyim, “Cheers”)
• חיי שעה‎ (ḥayéi sha'á, “living the now”)
• חיי נצח‎ (ḥayéi nétzaḥ, “eternal life”)
• מפעל חיים‎ (mif'ál ḥayím, “life's work”)
• סיפור חיים‎ (sippúr ḥayím, “life story”)
• תוחלת חיים‎ (toḥélet ḥayím, “lifespan”)
• על החיים ועל המוות‎ ('al haḥayím ve'ál hamávet, “Here goes”)

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).

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Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew חַיִּים‎ (khayím, “life”).

Noun

חיים • (khayem) m

1. (especially in religious contexts) life

Synonyms

• (life): לעבן‎ (lebn)

Proper noun

חיים • (khayem) m

1. A male given name: Chaim