פעם

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
פ־ע־ם (p-ʿ-m)

Compare Ugaritic 𐎔𐎓𐎐 (pʿn, “foot”) and 𐎔𐎀𐎎𐎚 (pảmt, “times”), which possibly split phonologically from the same source.

Pronunciation

• (פַּעַם, pá'am) and (פַּעַם־, pá'am-) (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈpa.(ʔ)am/
• (פָּעַם, pa'ám) (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /pa.ˈ(ʔ)am/
• (פֵּעֵם, pe'ém) (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /peˈ(ʔ)em/
• Rhymes: -am

Noun

פַּעַם • (pá'am) f (dual indefinite פעמיים / פַּעֲמַיִם, plural indefinite פְּעָמִים, singular construct פַּעַם־, plural construct פַּעֲמֵי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. A time: an instance, an occurrence.
   • איה כורם, מה יהיה איתי, אמא?

     אמרתי לך פעם שאמא שלך, היא לא ממש אמא נורמלית

2. A step, a footstep, a pace: an instance of stepping with the foot.
3. A stroke, a beat, as a heartbeat.
4. (used adverbially) Once, at one time, in the past.
   • 2021 October 21, Hagit Ginzburg, “‘ילדות סכסכניות’: מכתב אהבה לבת ה-20 המבולבלת שהיית פעם” (“y'ladót sakhs'khaniyót”: mikhtáv ahavá l'vát ha-20 ham'vulbélet shehayít pá'am, “‘Argumentative Girls’: a love letter to the confused 20-year-old you used to be”), Haaretz.
5. (פַּעַם־, pá'am-) Singular construct state form of פַּעַם‎.

Derived terms

• אי פעם (éi pá'am)
• אף פעם (áf pá'am)
• אַפְפַּעַם (afpá'am)
• לִפְעָמִים (lif'amím)
• מדי פעם (midéi pá'am)
• פעמיים נקודתיים / פַּעֲמַיִם נְקֻדָּתַיִם (pa'amáyim nekudatáyim)
• פַּעַם שְׁלִישִׁית גְּלִידָה (pá'am sh'lishít glidá)

References

• H6471 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Verb

פָּעַם • (pa'ám) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

1. To beat, to strike, to knock.

Conjugation

Conjugation of פָּעַם (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לפעום / לִפְעֹם action noun: פְּעִימָה passive participle: —
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	פָּעַמְתִּי		פָּעַמְנוּ
	second	פָּעַמְתָּ	פָּעַמְתְּ	פְּעַמְתֶּם1	פְּעַמְתֶּן1
	third	פָּעַם	פָּעֲמָה	פָּעֲמוּ
present		פּוֹעֵם	פּוֹעֶמֶת	פּוֹעֲמִים	פּוֹעֲמוֹת
future	first	אֶפְעַם		נִפְעַם
	second	תִּפְעַם	תִּפְעֲמִי	תִּפְעֲמוּ	תִּפְעַמְנָה2
	third	יִפְעַם	תִּפְעַם	יִפְעֲמוּ	תִּפְעַמְנָה2
imperative		פְּעַם	פַּעֲמִי	פַּעֲמוּ	פְּעַמְנָה2
notes		Pronounced פָּעַמְתֶּם and פָּעַמְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Verb

פיעם / פִּעֵם • (pi'ém) third-singular masculine past (pi'el construction)

1. defective spelling of פיעם.

References

• “פַּעַם” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 2 of 3 (ל to צ), →ISBN, page 1080.
• “פעם, פָּעַם” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 2 of 3 (ל to צ), →ISBN, page 1079.