שקל

Aramaic

Verb

שקל • (transliteration needed)

1. to take, to remove

Descendants

• → North Levantine Arabic: شقل (šaʔal)

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
שׁ־ק־ל (sh-q-l)
4 terms

From the root שׁ־ק־ל (sh-q-l), in the pa`ál conjugation. From Proto-Semitic *ṯql (“to weigh; burden, weight”); cognate with Arabic ثقل and Aramaic תקל.

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʃaːˈqal/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʃaˈkal/

Verb

שָׁקַל • (shakál) (pa'al construction, passive counterpart נִשְׁקַל)

1. (transitive, intransitive) to weigh, weigh in
2. (transitive) to weigh, ponder, contemplate

Conjugation

Conjugation of שָׁקַל (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לשקול / לִשְׁקֹל
		action noun		שְׁקִילָה
		passive participle		שָׁקוּל
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	שָׁקַלְתִּי		שָׁקַלְנוּ
	second	שָׁקַלְתָּ	שָׁקַלְתְּ	שְׁקַלְתֶּם1	שְׁקַלְתֶּן1
	third	שָׁקַל	שָׁקְלָה	שָׁקְלוּ
present		שׁוֹקֵל	שׁוֹקֶלֶת	שׁוֹקְלִים	שׁוֹקְלוֹת
future	first	אשקול / אֶשְׁקֹל		נשקול / נִשְׁקֹל
	second	תשקול / תִּשְׁקֹל	תִּשְׁקְלִי	תִּשְׁקְלוּ	תשקולנה / תִּשְׁקֹלְנָה2
	third	ישקול / יִשְׁקֹל	תשקול / תִּשְׁקֹל	יִשְׁקְלוּ	תשקולנה / תִּשְׁקֹלְנָה2
imperative	positive	שקול / שְׁקֹל	שִׁקְלִי	שִׁקְלוּ	שקולנה / שְׁקֹלְנָה2
	negative	אַל + Second person future tense

¹ Pronounced שָׁקַלְתֶּם and שָׁקַלְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Further reading

• H8254 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 2

Root
שׁ־ק־ל (sh-q-l)
4 terms

From the root שׁ־ק־ל (sh-q-l, “weigh”) (compare English pound and Spanish lira and peso, terms related to weight that turned into names of currencies).

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʃeqel/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈʃekel/

Noun

שֶׁקֶל • (shékel) m (plural indefinite שְׁקָלִים, singular construct שֶׁקֶל־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. sheqel, the name of Israel's currency unit since 24 February 1980.
2. (historical) shekel, unit of weight used throughout the Fertile Crescent, especially in commercial transactions (corresponds to 11.33 grams in the Judean system of measurement of the 8-6th centuries BCE).
3. (historical) a currency unit in the monetary system used in the Levant region around the beginning of the Common Era.

Declension

Declension of שֶׁקֶל

	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
				m	f	m	f
singular	indefinite	שֶׁקֶל	first	שִׁקְלִי		שִׁקְלֵנוּ
	definite	הַשֶּׁקֶל	second	שִׁקְלְךָ	שִׁקְלֵךְ	שִׁקְלְכֶם	שִׁקְלְכֶן
	construct	שֶׁקֶל־	third	שִׁקְלוֹ	שִׁקְלָהּ	שִׁקְלָם	שִׁקְלָן
plural	indefinite	שְׁקָלִים	first	שקליי / שְׁקָלַי		שְׁקָלֵינוּ
	definite	הַשְּׁקָלִים	second	שְׁקָלֶיךָ	שקלייך / שְׁקָלַיִךְ	שִׁקְלֵיכֶם	שִׁקְלֵיכֶן
	construct	שִׁקְלֵי־	third	שְׁקָלָיו	שְׁקָלֶיהָ	שִׁקְלֵיהֶם	שִׁקְלֵיהֶן

Derived terms

• שֶׁקֶל חָדָשׁ (shékel khadásh), ש״ח (sh"ch), ₪
• מחצית השקל
• פרשת שקלים
• שנקל

Descendants

• → Catalan: xéquel
• → English: shekel
• → Arabic: شَيْقَل (šayqal)
• → Yiddish: שקל (shekl)

Further reading

• H8255 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew שקל (shékel).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛkɫ̩/

Noun

שקל • (shekl) m, plural שקלים (shkolem)

1. shekel (current and ancient coin used in Israel)