אחוז

אחוז

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
א־ח־ז‎ (ʾ-ḥ-z)

From the root א־ח־ז‎ ('-ḥ-z). The form of the word is that of an adjective formed from the pa'al verb אָחַז‎ and meaning "taken" or "held". The adjective is attested as far back as the book of Numbers. The noun presumably derives from it.

Adjective

אָחוּז • (akhúz) (feminine אֲחוּזָה‎, masculine plural אֲחוּזִים‎, feminine plural אֲחוּזוֹת‎)

1. held, grasped

   ‏אָחוּז בְּיָדוֹ‎‎

   held in his hand

2. held in place, fastened, fixed
   • Esther 1:6, with translation from the King James Version:

     ‏חוּר כַּרְפַּס וּתְכֵלֶת אָחוּז בְּחַבְלֵי בוּץ וְאַרְגָּמָן עַל גְּלִילֵי כֶסֶף וְעַמּוּדֵי שֵׁשׁ‎

     Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble

3. taken proportionally
   • Numbers 31:30, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     ‏וּמִמַּחֲצִת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תִּקַּח אֶחָד אָחֻז מִן הַחֲמִשִּׁים‎

     And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty

Related terms

• אֲחוּזָה‎ (noun)
• אָחַז‎ (verb)
• נֶאֱחַז‎ (verb)

Noun

אָחוּז • (akhúz) m (plural indefinite אֲחוּזִים‎, singular construct אֲחוּז־)

1. A hundredth, a percent: used to express percentages.

   14.5%: ‏ארבעה-עשר אחוזים וחצי‎ ― arba'á-asár akhuzím v'khétzi ― fourteen and a half percent

   20%: ‏עשרים אחוז‎‎ ― esrím akhúz ― twenty percent

2. A percent, a percentage.

   ‏איזה אחוז … ?‎‎ ― éize akhúz … ? ― What percent(age) … ?

   ‏אחוז גבוה‎ ― akhúz gavóah ― a high percentage

Usage notes

• As shown in the examples above, the singular form אָחוּז is often used even for the semantic plural.

See also

• אחוז‎ on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he