תוכי
Hebrew
תוכי ― A parrot.
Etymology
Unknown. If meaning "peacock", then it shares an origin with Ancient Greek ταώς (taṓs), sometimes claimed to be from Tamil தோகை (tōkai, “tail (of a peacock)”).
Noun
תוכי / תֻּכִּי • (túki) m (plural indefinite תוכים \\ תֻּכִּים or תֻּכִּיִּים, singular construct תוכי / תֻּכִּי־, plural construct תוכי / תֻּכֵּי־ or תֻּכִּיֵּי־)
- (Biblical Hebrew, hapax, in the plural) The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
- peacocks
- monkeys, baboons
- 1 Kings 10:22, with translation of the King James Version:
- כִּי אֳנִי תַרְשִׁישׁ לַמֶּלֶךְ בַּיָּם, עִם אֳנִי חִירָם; אַחַת לְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים תָּבוֹא אֳנִי תַרְשִׁישׁ, נֹשְׂאֵת זָהָב וָכֶסֶף, שֶׁנְהַבִּים וְקֹפִים וְתֻכִּיִּים
- ki oní tarshísh lamélech bayám, 'im oní ḥirám; aḥát ləshalósh shaním tavó oní tarshísh, nosét zaháv vachésef, shinhabím vəqofím vətukiyím
- For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
- (modern) A parrot (a kind of bird).
- (modern, figuratively) A parroter; a person who repeats the words or ideas of others.
Usage notes
- The plural and plural construct forms in Biblical Hebrew are תֻּכִּיִּים and תֻּכִּיֵּי, respectively. The modern forms are listed above.
Derived terms
- תוכאים / תֻּכָּאִים
References
- H8500 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- “תֻּכִּי” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language