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.

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)

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)
    • Tanach, 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
Declension of שְׂמֹאל
NumberIsolated formsWith possessive pronouns
StateFormPersonsingularplural
m.f.m.f.
singularindefinite שְׂמֹאל first שְׂמֹאלִישְׂמֹאלֵנוּ
definite הַשְּׂמֹאל second שְׂמֹאלְךָשְׂמֹאלֵךְשְׂמֹאלְכֶםשְׂמֹאלְכֶן
construct שְׂמֹאל־ third שְׂמֹאלוֹשְׂמֹאלָהּשְׂמֹאלָםשְׂמֹאלָן

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

References

Yiddish

Adjective

שמאל • (shmol)

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