רקע

רקע

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ר־ק־ע‎ (r-q-ʿ)

From the root ר־ק־ע‎ (r-k-').

Pronunciation 1

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /raˈka/

Verb

רָקַע • (raká) (pa'al construction)

1. to stomp
   • 1973, Svika Pick, הרקדן האוטומטי (“The Automatic Dancer”):

     ‏הנה הוא שומע את המנגינה / מתחבר כמו אוטומט לזרם / בגופו רוקע על האדמה / הוא נמצא עכשיו בתוך הקצב‎

     There he hears the melody / connecting like an automatic / with his body [he] stamps on the ground / he is now within the rhythm

Conjugation

Conjugation of רָקַע (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לרקוע / לִרְקֹעַ‎ action noun: רְקִיעָה‎ passive participle: רָקוּעַ‎
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	רָקַעְתִּי‎		רָקַעְנוּ‎
	second	רָקַעְתָּ‎	רָקַעְתְּ‎	רְקַעְתֶּם‎1	רְקַעְתֶּן‎1
	third	רָקַע	רָקְעָה‎	רָקְעוּ‎
present		רוֹקֵעַ‎	רוֹקַעַת‎	רוֹקְעִים‎	רוֹקְעוֹת‎
future	first	אֶרְקַע‎		נִרְקַע‎
	second	תִּרְקַע‎	תִּרְקְעִי‎	תִּרְקְעוּ‎	תִּרְקַעְנָה‎2
	third	יִרְקַע‎	תִּרְקַע‎	יִרְקְעוּ‎	תִּרְקַעְנָה‎2
imperative		רְקַע	רִקְעִי‎	רִקְעוּ‎	רְקַעְנָה‎2
notes		Pronounced רָקַעְתֶּם‎ and רָקַעְתֶּן‎ in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Pronunciation 2

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈre.ka/

Noun

רֶקַע • (réka) m (plural indefinite רְקָעִים‎, singular construct רֶקַע־, plural construct רִקְעֵי־‎) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. (literally) A background: the background of a picture (or the like).
2. (figuratively) A background, an ambient environment.

   ‏מוזיקת רקע‎‎ ― muzikát-réka ― background music

   ‏עם מוזיקה ברקע‎‎ ― im múzika baréka ― with music in the background

   • 2005, אסף גברון (translator), Audrey Niffenegger (English author), “אשתו של הנוסע בזמן‎” (The Time Traveler’s Wife), Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir (publishers), →ISBN, page 398

     ‏כשקנדריק מפסיק לדבר, פתאום נשמעים רעשי הרקע של הבניין.‎‎[1]

     k'shekéndrik mafsík l'dabér, pit'óm nishma'ím ra'ashéi-haréka shel habinyan.

     When Kendrick stops talking the background noises of the building are suddenly apparent.

3. (figuratively) A background: a person's heritage, upbringing, and so on.

   ‏הרקע הסוציו-אקונומי של המשפחה‎ ― haréka hasotsyo-ekonómi shél hamishpakhá ― the family's socioeconomic background

4. (figuratively) A basis: an underlying situation or cause.
   • 2011 March 29, דן אבן (Dan Even), “85% מהתלונות לרופא על עייפות אינן על רקע גופני‎” (85% meihat'lunót l'rofé al ayefút einán al réka gufaní, “85% of medical complaints of tiredness do not have a physical basis”), in Haaretz Online.
5. (computing) A background, a desktop background.

   ‏רקעים למחשב‎ ― r'ka'ím l'makhshév ― desktop backgrounds (literally backgrounds for a computer)

   ‏רקעי מחשב‎ ― rik'éi-makhshév ― desktop backgrounds (literally computer backgrounds)

Usage notes

• (background, ambient environment): As may be seen in the examples above, the noun רקע (réka) very often functions either as an attributive modifier, or as the object of the preposition ב־‎ (b'-, “in”). In this respect it is similar to English background.
• (basis): Note that על רקע […] (al réka, “on/against a […] background”) typically has a much stronger implication of causation than an English-speaker might expect.

Verb

רִקֵּעַ • (rikéa') (pi'el construction)

1. defective spelling of ריקע‎.

Verb

רֻקַּע • (ruká) (pi'el construction)

1. defective spelling of רוקע‎.

References

• H7554 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• “רקע” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ‎ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 3 of 3 (ק to ת), page 1305.

1. English from: Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Harcourt (2004), →ISBN, page 464.

Anagrams

• קרע‎