חיים

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ח־י־ה (kh-y-h)

From the root ח־י־ה (ḥ-y-).

Pronunciation

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

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

• IPA^(key): /xaˈjim/, [ˈxa.jim], [ˈxa.jɪm]
• IPA^(key): /ħaˈjim/
• 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)
   • Tanach, Genesis 23:1:

     (please add the primary text of this quotation)

     JPS

     
     

     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 (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Hebrew חַיִּים (“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