ים

ים

See also: ־ים‎ and י־ם‎

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
י־מ־ם‎ (y-m-m)

A Northwest Semitic innovation. Compare Ugaritic 𐎊𐎎 (ym), Classical Syriac ܝܡܐ‎ (yammāʾ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jam/
• Rhymes: -am

Noun

יָם • (yam) m (plural indefinite יַמִּים‎, singular construct יַם־, plural construct יַמֵּי־‎) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. sea, ocean
   • Jonah 1:4, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     ‏וַיהוָה הֵטִיל רוּחַ־גְּדוֹלָה אֶל־הַיָּם וַיְהִי סַעַר־גָּדוֹל בַּיָּם וְהָאֳנִיָּה חִשְּׁבָה לְהִשָּׁבֵר׃‎‎

     vaYHVH hetíl ruakh-g'dolá 'el-hayám vay'hí sa'ar-gadól bayám v'ha'oniyá khish'vá l'hishavér.
     waYHWH hēṭīl rūaḥ-gəḏōlā ʾel-hayyām wayəhī saʿar-gāḏōl bayyām wəhāʾŏniyyā ḥiššəḇā ləhiššāḇēr.

     But the LORD hurled a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

2. (biblical) west (cardinal direction)
   • Genesis 12:8, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     ‏וַיַּעְתֵּק מִשָּׁם הָהָרָה מִקֶּדֶם לְבֵית־אֵל וַיֵּט אָהֳלֹה בֵּית־אֵל מִיָּם וְהָעַי מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּבֶן־שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה׃‎‎

     vaya'ték mishám hahára mikédem l'veit-'él vayét 'oholó beit-'él miyám v'ha'áy mikédem vayiven-shám mizbéakh laYHVH vayikrá b'shém YHVH.
     wayyaʿtēq miššām hāhā́rā miqqéḏem ləḇēṯ-ʾēl wayyēṭ ʾohŏlō bēṯ-ʾēl miyyām wəhāʿay miqqéḏem wayyiḇen-šām mizbḗaḥ laYHWH wayyiqrā bəšēm YHWH.

     And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east; and he builded there an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

3. (slang) a lot
4. the bottom grindstone (used for grinding flour)

Synonyms

• (compass point): מַעֲרָב‎ (ma'aráv)

Antonyms

• (compass point): קֶדֶם‎ (kédem) (archaic)
• (compass point): מִזְרָח‎ (mizrakh)

Hyponyms

• הַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן‎ (hayám hatikhón)
• יַם הַמֶּלַח‎ (Yam HaMelakh)
• יַם סוּף‎ (yam súf)

Derived terms

• בַּת יָם‎ (bat yam)
• יַמַּאי‎ (yama'í)
• כּוֹכַב יָם‎ (kokháv yam)
• כֶּלֶב יָם‎ (kélev yám)
• מֶלַח יָם‎
• מְלָפְפוֹן יָם‎ (m'laf'fon yam)
• מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם‎ (me'éver layám)
• סוּס יָם‎ (sus yám)
• סַרְטַן יָם‎ (sartán yám)
• בגד ים‎ (béged yám)
• שׁוֹדֵד יָם‎ (shodéd yam)
• עֵיטָם‎ (eitám)

References

• H3220 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• “ים” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• ים‎ on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Anagrams

• מי‎, מ״י‎

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Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew ים‎ (yam).

Noun

ים • (yam) m, plural ימים‎ (yamem) or ימען‎ (yamen)

1. sea, ocean

Derived terms

• אײַז־ים‎ (ayz-yam)
• ברעג ים‎ (breg yam)
• גיי קאַקן אויפֿן ים‎ (gey kakn oyfn yam)
• ים־גרונט‎ (yam-grunt)