זקן

זקן

Aramaic

Verb

זְקַן • (zəqan)

1. (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic) to age

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Hebrew

Root
ז־ק־ן‎ (z-q-n)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ḏaḳan- (“beard”). Cognate with Akkadian 𒅾 (ziqnum) and Arabic ذَقَن‎ (ḏaqan).

Noun

זָקָן • (zakán) m (plural indefinite זְקָנִים‎, singular construct זְקַן־, plural construct זִקְנֵי־‎) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. beard
   • Leviticus 19:27, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     ‏לֹא תַקִּפוּ פְּאַת רֹאשְׁכֶם וְלֹא תַשְׁחִית אֵת פְּאַת זְקָנֶךָ׃‎‎

     Lo taqfú pə'at roshkhém, v-ló tashḥít et pə'at zəqanékha

     Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

Related terms

• זְקַנְקַן‎ (z'kankán)
• מזוקן / מְזֻקָּן‎ (m'zukán)

See also

• עַבְדְּקָן‎ ('avd'kán)
• שָׂפָם‎ (safám)

Adjective

זָקֵן • (zakén) (feminine זְקֵנָה‎, masculine plural זְקֵנִים‎, feminine plural זְקֵנוֹת‎)

1. old, elderly, aged
   • 1987, Arik Einstein, “עוף גוזל”:

     ‏הַגּוֹזָלִים שֶׁלִּי עָזְבוּ אֶת הַקֵּן / פָּרְשׂוּ כְּנָפַיִם וְעָפוּ / וַאֲנִי צִפּוֹר זְקֵנָה נִשְׁאַרְתִּי בַּקֵּן / מְקַוֶּה מְאוֹד שֶׁהַכֹּל יִהְיֶה בְּסֵדֶר.‎‎

     hagozalím shelí 'az'vú 'et hakén / par'sú k'nafáyim v'áfu / va'aní tsipór z'kená nish'árti bakén / m'kavé m'ód shehakól yihyé b'séder.

     My chicks have have left the nest, / Spread their wings, And flown away, / and I am an old bird left in the nest, / Hoping very much that everything will be alright.

Usage notes

• This adjective refers only to human beings, animals, and plants. For inanimate objects, the adjective ישן‎ (yashán, “old, longstanding”) is used.
• This adjective means “old” specifically in the sense of “elderly”; English old as in (for example) “old enough to drive a car” or “he's older than she is” would usually be translated to Hebrew with the adjective מבוגר‎ (m'vugár, “old, adult”), and English old as in (for example) “forty years old” would usually be translated to Hebrew with either the masculine noun בן‎ (ben, “old, son”) or the feminine noun בת‎ (bat, “old, daughter”).

Noun

זָקֵן • (zakén) m (plural indefinite זְקֵנִים‎, singular construct זְקַן־, plural construct זִקְנֵי־‎, feminine counterpart זְקֵנָה‎)

1. old person
2. elder, sage
   • 1170 CE, Maimonides, Mishneh Torah:

     ‏אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא נִכְתְּבָה תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, לִמְּדָהּ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ כֻּלָּהּ בְּבֵית דִּינוֹ לְשִׁבְעִים זְקֵנִים; וְאֶלְעָזָר וּפִינְחָס וִיהוֹשׁוּעַ, שְׁלָשְׁתָּן קִבְּלוּ מִמֹּשֶׁה.‎‎

     ʾaf ʿal pi shelo niḫteva tora shebeʿal fe, limeḏa moshe rabenu kula bebeyṯ dino leshivʿim zeqenim; veʾelʿazar ufinḥam vihoshuʿa shelashtan qibelu mimoshe

     Although the Oral Torah was not written down, Moses taught all of it in his tribunal to seventy elders; and Eliezer and Phinehas and Joshua all received it from Moses.

3. (Talmudic) grandfather

Verb

זָקַן • (zakán) (pa'al construction)

1. (flowery) to grow old, to grow elderly, to age

Conjugation

Conjugation of זָקַן (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לזקון / לִזְקֹן‎ action noun: — passive participle: —
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	זָקַנְתִּי‎		זָקַנּוּ‎
	second	זָקַנְתָּ‎	זָקַנְתְּ‎	זְקַנְתֶּם‎1	זְקַנְתֶּן‎1
	third	זָקַן	זָקְנָה‎	זָקְנוּ‎
present		זָקֵן	זְקֵנָה‎	זְקֵנִים‎	זְקֵנוֹת‎
future	first	אֶזְקַן‎		נִזְקַן‎
	second	תִּזְקַן‎	תִּזְקְנִי‎	תִּזְקְנוּ‎	תִּזְקַנָּה‎2
	third	יִזְקַן‎	תִּזְקַן‎	יִזְקְנוּ‎	תִּזְקַנָּה‎2
imperative		זְקַן	זִקְנִי‎	זִקְנוּ‎	זְקַנָּה‎2
notes		Pronounced זָקַנְתֶּם‎ and זָקַנְתֶּן‎ in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Synonyms

• הִזְדַּקֵּן‎ (hizdakén)

Anagrams

• נזק‎

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Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew זָקֵן‎ (zakén).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɔkn̩/
• Homophone: זאָקן‎ (zokn)

Noun

זקן • (zokn) m, plural זקנים‎ (zkeynem), feminine זקנה‎ (zkeyne), feminine plural זקנות‎ (zkeynes)

1. old person
2. (chess) knight

Synonyms

• (chess): ריטער‎ (riter), שפּרינגער‎ (shpringer)