שמאל

See also: שמאָל‎

Hebrew

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *šimaʔl. Cognate with Arabic شِمَال‎ (šimāl), Akkadian 𒆏 (šumēlum), Aramaic סְמָלָא‎ (səmālā), שְׂמָאלָא‎ (śəmālā), ܣܸܡܵܠܵܐ‎ (semmālā), Ugaritic 𐎌𐎎𐎀𐎍 (šmảl). The north sense derives from the direction being on the left side facing the sunrise, this sense also exists in Arabic.

Noun

שְׂמֹאל • (s'mól) m

  1. Left: the left side.
    Antonym: יָמִין‎ (yamín)
    ‏בצד שמאל‎‎ ― b'tsád s'mól ― on the left side
    ‏יד שמאל‎‎ ― yád s'mól ― left hand
  2. (politics) The Left, the political left.
    Antonym: יָמִין‎ (yamín)
    ‏מפלגת שמאל‎‎ ― mifléget s'mól ― a left-wing party
  3. (Biblical Hebrew) North.
    Synonym: צָפֹון‎ (tsafón)
    Antonyms: יָמִין‎ (yamín), דָּרוֹם‎ (daróm), נֶגֶב‎ (négev), תֵּימָן‎ (teimán)
    • Genesis 14:15, with translation of the New International Version:
      ‏וַיֵּחָלֵק עֲלֵיהֶם לַיְלָה הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו וַיַּכֵּם וַֽיִּרְדְּפֵם עַד־חֹובָה אֲשֶׁר מִשְּׂמֹאל לְדַמָּֽשֶׂק׃‎‎
      During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.

Declension

Derived terms

  • שְׂמֹאלָה‎ (s'móla, “leftward, to the left”)
  • שְׂמָאלוּת‎ (smalút, “left-handedness”)
  • שְׂמָאלִי‎ (s'malí, “lefty”)
  • שְׂמָאלִיּוּת‎ (smaliyút, “leftism”)
  • שׂמאֹלָן‎ (smolán, “a leftist”)
  • שְׂמֹאלָנוּת‎ (smolanút, “leftism”)
  • שְׂמֹאלָנִי‎ (smolaní, “leftist”)

References

Yiddish

Adjective

שמאל • (shmol)

  1. (nonstandard) Unpointed form of שמאָל‎ (shmol).
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