דרך

Hebrew

Etymology
Root
ד־ר־ך (d-r-k)

Compare Aramaic דְּרַךְ (dəraḵ, “to tread”), Arabic أَدْرَكَ (ʔadraka, “to reach, to overtake”). Possibly related to Arabic طريق.

Pronunciation

Noun

דֶּרֶךְ • (dérekh) f (plural indefinite דְּרָכִים, singular construct דֶּרֶךְ־, plural construct דַּרְכֵי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

  1. (literally and figuratively) a road, a path, a way
    כל הדרכים מובילות לרומא. ― kól had'rakhím movilót l'róma ― All the roads lead to Rome.
    הקו שלי עוצר בדרך בגין. ― My [bus] line stops at Begin Road.
    • Tanach, Genesis 3:24, with translation of the New International Version:
      וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת־הָאָדָם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן־עֵדֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִים וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים׃
      After he drove the man out, he placed on the east sidefn of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
  2. a journey
  3. (by extension) a custom
    • Tanach, Genesis 19:31, with translation of the New International Version:
      וַתֹּאמֶר הַבְּכִירָה אֶל־הַצְּעִירָה אָבִינוּ זָקֵן וְאִישׁ אֵין בָּאָרֶץ לָבֹוא עָלֵינוּ כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
      One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth.

Usage notes
  • Unlike most nouns of the קֶטֶל pattern, דֶּרֶךְ is primarily feminine (though masculine usage is not unheard of, especially in older forms of Hebrew). Nonetheless, it has the same inflected forms as other like-patterned nouns, including an indefinite-state plural in ־ים (-im) rather than ־ות (-ot).

Declension
Declension of דֶּרֶךְ
NumberIsolated formsWith possessive pronouns
StateFormPersonsingularplural
m.f.m.f.
singularindefinite דֶּרֶךְ first דַּרְכִּידַּרְכֵּנוּ
definite הַדֶּרֶךְ second דַּרְכְּךָדַּרְכֵּךְדַּרְכְּכֶםדַּרְכְּכֶן
construct דֶּרֶךְ־ third דַּרְכּוֹדַּרְכָּהּדַּרְכָּםדַּרְכָּן
pluralindefinite דְּרָכִים first דרכיי / דְּרָכַידְּרָכֵינוּ
definite הַדְּרָכִים second דְּרָכֶיךָדרכייך / דְּרָכַיִךְדַּרְכֵיכֶםדַּרְכֵיכֶן
construct דַּרְכֵי־ third דְּרָכָיודְּרָכֶיהָדַּרְכֵיהֶםדַּרְכֵיהֶן

Derived terms

Further reading

Preposition

דֶּרֶךְ • (dérekh) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

  1. Through, via, by way of.
    ראיתי את זה דרך החלון. ― ra'íti ét zé dérekh hakhalón. ― I saw it through the window.

Verb

דָּרַךְ • (darách) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

  1. to step on, to walk on (something or someone)
  2. to tread (grapes, etc.)
  3. to cock (to lift the cock of a firearm), to draw (to pull back the bowstring)

Conjugation
Conjugation of דָּרַךְ (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 
non-finite forms
  • to-infinitive: לדרוך / לִדְרֹךְ
  • action noun: דְּרִיכָה
  • passive participle: דָּרוּךְ
finite forms singular plural
m. f. m. f.
past first דָּרַכְתִּידָּרַכְנוּ
second דָּרַכְתָּדָּרַכְתְּדְּרַכְתֶּם1דְּרַכְתֶּן1
third דָּרַךְדָּרְכָהדָּרְכוּ
present דּוֹרֵךְדּוֹרֶכֶתדּוֹרְכִיםדּוֹרְכוֹת
future first אדרוך / אֶדְרֹךְנדרוך / נִדְרֹךְ
second תדרוך / תִּדְרֹךְתִּדְרְכִיתִּדְרְכוּתדרוכנה / תִּדְרֹכְנָה2
third ידרוך / יִדְרֹךְתדרוך / תִּדְרֹךְיִדְרְכוּתדרוכנה / תִּדְרֹכְנָה2
imperative דרוך / דְּרֹךְדִּרְכִידִּרְכוּדרוכנה / דְּרֹכְנָה2
notes
  1. Pronounced דָּרַכְתֶּם and דָּרַכְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
  2. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References
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