קוטב

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ק־ט־ב (q-ṭ-b)

Borrowed from Arabic قُطْب (quṭb).

Noun

קוטב / קֹטֶב • (kótev) m (plural indefinite קְטָבִים) [pattern: קֹטֶל]

1. pole
2. magnetic pole

Derived terms

• קוטבי / קָטְבִּי (kotbí)

Proper noun

הקוטב / הַקֹּטֶב • (hakótev) [pattern: קֹטֶל]

1. the North Pole

Derived terms

• חוג הקוטב / הוּג הַקֹּטֶב (khúg hakótev)

Etymology 2

In Biblical Hebrew: Cognate to Arabic قُطْب (quṭb), and Classical Syriac ܩܘܽܪܛܒܳܐ (qurṭəḇā), ܛܘܽܪܛܒܳܐ (ṭurṭəḇā), ܩܘܽܛܒܳܐ (quṭəḇā), ܩܘܽܛܒܬܳܐ (quṭəḇtā, “puncture-vine”). For the formation compare قُرْط (qurṭ, “Egyptian clover”), قَتَاد (qatād, “milkvetch”), قَتّ (qatt, “lucerne”), قَات (qāt, “qat”), قَصَل (qaṣal, “cut off awns of grain, shucks or husks of a cereal plant”), Classical Syriac ܩܽܘܪܛܡܳܐ (qūrṭəmā, “safflower”) borrowed as قُرْطُم (qurṭum).

In Modern Israeli Hebrew: Borrowed from Arabic قُطْب (quṭb).

Noun

קוטב / קֹטֶב • (kótev) m [pattern: קֹטֶל]
קֶטֶב • (kétev) m (Biblical Hebrew pausal form קָטֶב) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. (Biblical Hebrew) thorn, sting
   • Tanach, Hosea 13:14:

     מִיַּ֤ד שְׁאֹול֙ אֶפְדֵּ֔ם מִמָּ֖וֶת אֶגְאָלֵ֑ם אֱהִ֨י דְבָרֶיךָ֜ מָ֗וֶת אֱהִ֤י קָֽטָבְךָ֙ שְׁאֹ֔ול נֹ֖חַם יִסָּתֵ֥ר מֵעֵינָֽי׃

     Shall I ransom them from the power of the netherworld?
     Shall I redeem them from death?
     Ho, thy plagues, O death!
     Ho, thy thorn, O netherworld!
     Pity be hidden from mine eyes!

   • Tanach, Isaiah 28:2:

     הִנֵּ֨ה חָזָ֤ק וְאַמִּץ֙ לַֽאדֹנָ֔י כְּזֶ֥רֶם בָּרָ֖ד שַׂ֣עַר קָ֑טֶב כְּ֠זֶרֶם מַ֣יִם כַּבִּירִ֥ים שֹׁטְפִ֛ים הִנִּ֥יחַ לָאָ֖רֶץ בְּיָֽד׃

     Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a storm of stings—as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth by hand.

2. (Biblical Hebrew) the name of an infectious disease
   • Tanach, Deuteronomy 32:24:

     מְזֵ֥י רָעָ֛ב וּלְחֻ֥מֵי רֶ֖שֶׁף וְקֶ֣טֶב מְרִירִ֑י וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹות֙ אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם עִם־חֲמַ֖ת זֹחֲלֵ֥י עָפָֽר

     They shall be wasted by hunger and devoured by pestilence and plague; I will send against them the teeth of beasts, the venom of creepers in the dust.

   • Tanach, Psalms 91:6, with translation of the New International Version:

     מִ֭דֶּבֶר בָּאֹ֣פֶל יַהֲלֹ֑ךְ מִ֝קֶּ֗טֶב יָשׁ֥וּד צָהֳרָֽיִם

     nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

3. (Modern Israeli Hebrew) puncture-vine (Tribulus spp.)

Usage notes

Sources out of touch with the Orientalist science, which includes most circulating Old Covenant translations, mistakingly translate it as “destruction”, “plague”, “pain” etc., though even the Septuagint translates κέντρον (kéntron) in Hosea.

Further reading

• “קוטב” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language
• Brockelmann, Carl (1928) “ܛܘܽܪܛܒܳܐ”, in Lexicon Syriacum (in Latin), 2nd edition, Halle: Max Niemeyer, published 1995, page 288b
• Brockelmann, Carl (1928) “ܩܘܽܪܛܒܳܐ”, in Lexicon Syriacum (in Latin), 2nd edition, Halle: Max Niemeyer, published 1995, page 695a
• Löw, Immanuel (1924) Die Flora der Juden‎^[1] (in German), volume 3, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, pages 512–513
• Löw, Immanuel (1881) Aramæische Pflanzennamen‎^[2] (in German), Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann, pages 355–356 Nr. 302
• “qwrṭb”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• קוטב on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he