אדם

Aramaic

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʔɑdɑm/

Proper noun

אדם (adám)

  1. (biblical) Adam.
  2. a male given name

Hebrew

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Root
א־ד־ם (ʾ-d-m)

Comparable to Phoenician 𐤀𐤃𐤌 (ʾdm, man, earthling), Ugaritic 𐎀𐎄𐎎 (ảdm, man; red earth, red ochre), Old South Arabian 𐩱𐩵𐩣 (ʾdm, vassals, subjects), Ge'ez ዶም (dom, slave), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒄠𒈬 (a-da-am-mu /adamu/, blood), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈠𒌈 (a-da-ma-tum /adamātu/, dark red earth or dye), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈬 (a-da-mu /adamu/, a red garment), Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈬 (a-da-mu /adamu/, an important or noble person). The meaning range points to these words being extensions from Proto-Semitic *dam- (blood), compare the Palestinian Aramaic forms of it אדם / אידם / ܐܕܡ (ʾəḏem, blood). The meaning development could be any of the following:

  1. “blood” → “red earth”, “red ochre” → “earthling”;
  2. “blood” → “man”, as blood is a main ingredient of humans;
  3. “blood” → “red earth”, “red ochre” → “the dye to paint idols” → hence “an idol” → “an effigy, a likeness” → “a man”;
  4. “blood” → “blood sacrifice to appease an idol” → hence “an idol” → “an effigy, a likeness” → “a man”;
  5. “blood” → “red” → “to show red blood in the face, e.g. to blush” → “a human”.

Compare Arabic دُمْيَة (dumya, statue, idol; effigy, likeness; doll, puppet), دَمَّ (damma, to bedaub).

Noun

אָדָם (adám) m [pattern: קָטָל]

  1. person, human, human being
  2. mankind, humankind
    אָדָם לְאָדָם זְאֵבadám l'adám z'évMan is a wolf to man. (cf. homō hominī lupus)
  3. man
Usage notes

For plural, בני אדם or אנשים can be used.

Synonyms
Derived terms
  • אָדָם לְאָדָם זְאֵב
  • זְכוּת אָדָם (z'khút-adám)
  • מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם
Descendants
  • Arabic: آدَم (ʔādam)
  • Aramaic: אָדָם / ܐܳܕܳܡ (ʾāḏām)
  • Ge'ez: አዳም (ʾädam)

Proper noun

אָדָם (adám) m

  1. a male given name, equivalent to English Adam
Derived terms

References

Etymology 2

Root
א־ד־ם (ʾ-d-m)

Adjective

אָדֹם (adóm) (feminine אֲדֻמָּה, masculine plural אֲדֻמִּים, feminine plural אֲדֻמּוֹת)

  1. defective spelling of אדום ('adóm, red).

Noun

אֹדֶם (ódem) m

  1. defective spelling of אודם (ódem, redness).

Anagrams

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