חמץ

See also: ח־מ־ץ‎

Aramaic

Verb

חמץ • (transliteration needed)

to be sour

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ח־מ־ץ‎

Cognate with Jewish Babylonian Aramaic חמע‎, Classical Syriac ܚܡܥ‎, Arabic حمض‎ and Akkadian 𒄩𒁀𒍮 (ḫabāṣu, ḫamāṣu, “to be cheerful, to be elated from alcohol”).

Pronunciation

(Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /χaˈmets/
(Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħaˈmets/, /ħaˈmesˁ/
(Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈχɔməts/
(Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħaːˈmeːsˁ/

Verb

חָמֵץ • (khaméts) (pa'al construction)

(of dough) to leaven, ferment

Noun

חָמֵץ • (khaméts) m

(collective) products made from leavened flour

Usage notes

Used mostly in the context of the rules and rituals ahead of and during the Jewish holiday of Passover, where it denotes products forbidden for consumption or possession by Jews during the holiday. In this context, the opposite of חָמֵץ is כָּשֵׁר לְפֶסַח‎ (kashér l'fésakh, “kosher for Passover”).

Derived terms

ביעור חמץ‎

Noun

חֹמֶץ • (khómets) m

defective spelling of חומץ‎

References

Duschak, Moritz (1870) Die Botanik des Talmud (in German), Pest: I. Neuer, pages 32–33

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew חָמֵץ‎.

Noun

חמץ • (khomets) m

(Judaism) chametz (products made from leavened flour)