חכם

Aramaic

Verb

חכם • (transliteration needed)

1. to be wise

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ח־כ־ם (kh-k-m)
4 terms

Compare Arabic حَكِيم (ḥakīm), Aramaic חַכִּים (ḥakkīm).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /χaˈχam/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /xɔ.xɔm/, /xu.xum/
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħaˈxam/
• (Tiberian Hebrew, Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħɔˈxɔm/
• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħɑːˈkɑːm/, [ħɑːˈxɑːm]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -am

Adjective

חָכָם • (khakhám) (feminine חֲכָמָה, masculine plural חֲכָמִים, feminine plural חֲכָמוֹת) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. wise, smart

Derived terms

• גַּם אֱוִיל מַחֲרִישׁ חָכָם יֵחָשֵׁב (gám evíl makhrísh khakhám yekhashév)
• חָכְמוֹלוֹג (khakhmológ)

Noun

חָכָם • (khakhám) m (plural indefinite חֲכָמִים, singular construct חֲכַם־, plural construct חַכְמֵי־, feminine counterpart חֲכָמָה) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. wise man, sage
2. rabbi

Declension

Declension of חָכָם

	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
				m	f	m	f
singular	indefinite	חָכָם	first	חֲכָמִי		חֲכָמֵנוּ
	definite	הֶחָכָם	second	חֲכָמְךָ	חֲכָמֵךְ	חֲכַמְכֶם	חֲכַמְכֶן
	construct	חֲכַם־	third	חֲכָמוֹ	חֲכָמָהּ	חֲכָמָם	חֲכָמָן
plural	indefinite	חֲכָמִים	first	חכמיי / חֲכָמַי		חֲכָמֵינוּ
	definite	הַחֲכָמִים	second	חֲכָמֶיךָ	חכמייך / חֲכָמַיִךְ	חַכְמֵיכֶם	חַכְמֵיכֶן
	construct	חַכְמֵי־	third	חֲכָמָיו	חֲכָמֶיהָ	חַכְמֵיהֶם	חַכְמֵיהֶן

Derived terms

• אֶבֶן הַחֲכָמִים (éven ha-khakhamím)
• תַּלְמִיד חָכָם (talmíd khakhám)
• חז״ל (khaza"l)

Descendants

• → Arabic: حَاخَام (ḥāḵām)
• → Judeo-Tat: ħoxom, xoxom
• → Ladino: haham
• → Ottoman Turkish: خاخام, խախամ (haham) — Armeno-Turkish
  • Turkish: haham
  • → Armenian: խախամ (xaxam)
  • → Romanian: haham
  • → Albanian: haham
• → Persian: خاخام (xâxâm)
• → Yiddish: חכם (khokhem)
  • → Dutch: goochem
  • ⇒ German: Pustekuchen
  • → English: chochem
  • → Polish: hacham

Verb

חָכַם • (khakhám) (pa'al construction)

1. to be wise, become wise, learn

Conjugation

Conjugation of חָכַם (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לחכום / לַחְכֹּם
		action noun		—
		passive participle		—
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	חָכַמְתִּי		חָכַמְנוּ
	second	חָכַמְתָּ	חָכַמְתְּ	חֲכַמְתֶּם1	חֲכַמְתֶּן1
	third	חָכַם	חָכְמָה	חָכְמוּ
present		חָכָם	חֲכָמָה	חֲכָמִים	חֲכָמוֹת
future	first	אֶחְכַּם		נֶחְכַּם
	second	תֶּחְכַּם	תֶּחְכְּמִי	תֶּחְכְּמוּ	תֶּחְכַּמְנָה2
	third	יֶחְכַּם	תֶּחְכַּם	יֶחְכְּמוּ	תֶּחְכַּמְנָה2
imperative	positive	חֲכַם	חִכְמִי	חִכְמוּ	חֲכַמְנָה2
	negative	אַל + Second person future tense

¹ Pronounced חָכַמְתֶּם and חָכַמְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References

• H2449 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• H2450 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• “חכם” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language
• "חכם" in the Noun Declension Tables of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• חכם on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Ladino

Etymology

From Hebrew חכם.

Noun

חכם m (Latin spelling haham, plural חכמים)

1. (Judaism) rabbi, sage

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew חכם (khakhám).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈχɔχəm/

Noun

חכם • (khokhem) m, plural חכמים (khakhomem)

1. wise man
2. (sarcastic) wise guy

Related terms

• חז״ל (khazal)
• חכמה (khokhme)
• תּלמיד־חכם (talmed-khokhem)

Descendants

• → Dutch: goochem
• ⇒ German: Pustekuchen
• → English: chochem
• → Polish: hacham