שמש

See also: שמשׂ

Aramaic

Verb

שמש • (transliteration needed)

1. to serve

Hebrew

Etymology 1

השמש זורחת בשמיים

Root
שׁ־מ־שׁ (sh-m-sh)
10 terms

From Proto-Semitic *śamš-.

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʃamʃ/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛmɛʃ/, [ˈʃɛːmɛʃ]
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʃemeʃ/

Noun

שֶׁמֶשׁ • (shémesh) f (plural indefinite שְׁמָשׁוֹת, Biblical Hebrew pausal form שָׁמֶש) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. sun

   Synonym: חַמָּה (khamá)

   • Tanach, Ecclesiastes 1:5, with translation of jps:

     וְזָרַח הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וּבָא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ וְאֶל־מְקוֹמוֹ שׁוֹאֵף זוֹרֵחַ הוּא שָׁם׃

     v'zarákh hashémesh uva hashámesh v'el m'komó sho'éf zoréakh hu sham

     The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he ariseth.

   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud. Ta'anit, 8b:

     וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: שֶׁמֶשׁ בְּשַׁבָּת — צְדָקָה לַעֲנִיִּים

     v'amár rabí yitskhák: shémesh b'shabát — ts'daká la'aniyím

     and R. Isaac said: Sabbath sun is charity for the poor.

Declension

Declension of שֶׁמֶשׁ

	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
				m	f	m	f
singular	indefinite	שֶׁמֶשׁ	first	שַׁמְשִׁי		שַׁמְשֵׁנוּ
	definite	הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ	second	שַׁמְשְׁךָ	שַׁמְשֵׁךְ	שַׁמְשְׁכֶם	שַׁמְשְׁכֶן
	construct	שֶׁמֶשׁ־	third	שַׁמְשׁוֹ	שַׁמְשָׁהּ	שַׁמְשָׁם	שַׁמְשָׁן

Derived terms

• אֵין כָּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ (en kol khadásh tákhat hashámesh)
• בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ (bet shémesh)
• דּוּד שֶׁמֶשׁ (dud shémesh)
• מַעֲרֶכֶת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ (ma'arékhet hashémesh)
• עיט שמש (áyit shémesh)
• שִׁמְשִׁי (shimshí)
• שְׁעוֹן שֶׁמֶשׁ (sh'ón shémesh)
• מִשְׁקְפֵי שֶׁמֶשׁ m pl (mishk'fé shémesh, “sunglasses”)

References

• H8121 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) “שֶׁמֶשׁ”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 668b
• Jastrow, Marcus (1903) A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature‎^[2], London, New York: Luzac & Co., G.P. Putnam's Sons, page 1602b
• “שמש” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• השמש on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Etymology 2

Root
שׁ־מ־שׁ (sh-m-sh)
10 terms

Noun

שַׁמָּשׁ • (shamásh) m [pattern: קַטָּל]

1. public servant
2. (Judaism) sexton, beadle
3. (Judaism) shamash (the candle used to light the other eight candles of a Hanukkah menorah or hanukkiah)
4. (Mishna) waiter

   Synonym: מלצר (meltsár)

Descendants

• → English: shamash
• → Yiddish: שמשׂ (shames)
  • → Dutch: sjammes
  • → English: shammes

See also

• שליח ציבור (shalíakh tsibúr)
• גבאי (gabái)

Further reading

• (specialized candle): Hanukkah menorah

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

שִׁמֵּשׁ • (shimésh) (pi'el construction)

1. defective spelling of שימש.

Yiddish

Noun

שמש • (shames)

1. (nonstandard) Unpointed form of שמשׂ (shames).