חברה

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Noun

חֲבֵרָה • (khaverá) f (plural indefinite חֲבֵרוֹת, masculine counterpart חָבֵר)

1. A female friend, or more generally a female teammate, classmate, partner, or similar.
2. (specifically) A girlfriend; a female romantic partner.
   • Tanach, Malachi 2:14, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     ...וְהִיא חֲבֶרְתְּךָ וְאֵשֶׁת בְּרִיתֶךָ.

     ...vəhí ḥavertəchá vəéshet britécha.

     ...Though she is thy companion, And the wife of thy covenant.

3. A female member (as of an organization or society).
4. (socialism) A female comrade.

Descendants

• → Classical Syriac: ܚܒܪܬܐ (“female friend, neighbor”)
  • → Lishana Deni: כורתא (xwarṯa, “female friend”)

Noun

חֶבְרָה • (khevrá) f (plural indefinite חֲבָרוֹת, singular construct חֶבְרַת־, plural construct חֶבְרוֹת־)

1. Company, society: the state of being with one or more other people.
2. Company, society: one or more people that one is with.
3. A society: a collection of individuals with common characteristics or some connection between them.
4. A society, an association: a group of people who have united for a certain purpose.
5. A company, a corporation: a business with multiple owners, or owned by a group.
6. (ecology) a community

Derived terms

• חֶבְרָתִי (khevratí)

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: xavra (“synagogue”)
• → Lithuanian: chebra (“group of friends, clique, gang”)
• → Ottoman Turkish: خاوره (“synagogue”), خورا, حاوره, هورا, هاوره
  • Turkish: havra
  • → Armenian: խավռա (xavṙa, “confusion, disorder”)
  • → Macedonian: авра (avra, “synagogue”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Yiddish חבֿרה (khevre), in turn from Hebrew חֶבְרָה (khevrá).

Alternative forms

• חֶבְרֶ׳ה (khévr'e)

Noun

חֶבְרֶה • (khévre) m pl

1. (colloquial) Friends, a group of friends.

References

• “חברה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language