דרך

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Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ד־ר־ך (d-r-k)

Compare Aramaic דְּרַךְ (dəraḵ, “to tread”), Arabic أَدْرَكَ (ʔadraka, “to reach, to overtake”). Possibly related to Arabic طريق.

Pronunciation

Noun

דֶּרֶךְ • (dérekh) f (plural indefinite דְּרָכִים, singular construct דֶּרֶךְ־, plural construct דַּרְכֵי־)

  1. (literally and figuratively) a road, a path, a way
    כל הדרכים מובילות לרומא. ― kól had'rakhím movilót l'róma ― All the roads lead to Rome.
    הקו שלי עוצר בדרך בגין. ― My line stops at Begin Road.
    • Tanach, Genesis 3:24, with translation of the New International Version:
      וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת־הָאָדָם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן־עֵדֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִים וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים׃
      After he drove the man out, he placed on the east sidefn of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
  2. a journey
  3. (by extension) a custom
    • Tanach, Genesis 19:31, with translation of the New International Version:
      וַתֹּאמֶר הַבְּכִירָה אֶל־הַצְּעִירָה אָבִינוּ זָקֵן וְאִישׁ אֵין בָּאָרֶץ לָבֹוא עָלֵינוּ כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
      One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth.

Usage notes

  • Unlike most nouns of the קֶטֶל pattern, דֶּרֶךְ is primarily feminine (though masculine usage is not unheard of, especially in older forms of Hebrew). Nonetheless, it has the same inflected forms as other like-patterned nouns, including an indefinite-state plural in ־ים (-im) rather than ־ות (-ot).

Declension

Declension of דֶּרֶךְ
Number Isolated forms With possessive pronouns
State Form Person singular plural
m. f. m. f.
singular indefinite דֶּרֶךְ first דַּרְכִּי דַּרְכֵּנוּ
definite הַדֶּרֶךְ second דַּרְכְּךָ דַּרְכֵּךְ דַּרְכְּכֶם דַּרְכְּכֶן
construct דֶּרֶךְ־ third דַּרְכּוֹ דַּרְכָּהּ דַּרְכָּם דַּרְכָּן
plural indefinite דְּרָכִים first דרכיי / דְּרָכַי דְּרָכֵינוּ
definite הַדְּרָכִים second דְּרָכֶיךָ דרכייך / דְּרָכַיִךְ דַּרְכֵיכֶם דַּרְכֵיכֶן
construct דַּרְכֵי־ third דְּרָכָיו דְּרָכֶיהָ דַּרְכֵיהֶם דַּרְכֵיהֶן

Derived terms

Further reading

Preposition

דֶּרֶךְ • (dérekh)

  1. Through, via, by way of.
    ראיתי את זה דרך החלון. ― ra'íti ét zé dérekh hakhalón. ― I saw it through the window.

Verb

דָּרַךְ • (darách) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

  1. to step on, to walk on (something or someone)
  2. to tread (grapes, etc.)
  3. to cock (to lift the cock of a firearm), to draw (to pull back the bowstring)

Conjugation

Conjugation of דָּרַךְ (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 
non-finite forms
finite forms singular plural
m. f. m. f.
past first דָּרַכְתִּי דָּרַכְנוּ
second דָּרַכְתָּ דָּרַכְתְּ דְּרַכְתֶּם1 דְּרַכְתֶּן1
third דָּרַךְ דָּרְכָה דָּרְכוּ
present דּוֹרֵךְ דּוֹרֶכֶת דּוֹרְכִים דּוֹרְכוֹת
future first אדרוך / אֶדְרֹךְ נדרוך / נִדְרֹךְ
second תדרוך / תִּדְרֹךְ תִּדְרְכִי תִּדְרְכוּ תדרוכנה / תִּדְרֹכְנָה2
third ידרוך / יִדְרֹךְ תדרוך / תִּדְרֹךְ יִדְרְכוּ תדרוכנה / תִּדְרֹכְנָה2
imperative דרוך / דְּרֹךְ דִּרְכִי דִּרְכוּ דרוכנה / דְּרֹכְנָה2
notes
  1. Pronounced דָּרַכְתֶּם and דָּרַכְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
  2. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia