לילית

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Hebrew

Etymology

From Akkadian 𒊩𒆤𒇲 (lilītu), a kind of demon, in Semitic wrongly associated with לַיְלָה (láylā, “night”), hence transferred to a nocturnal demon and nocturnal bird.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

לִילִית • (lilít) f

  1. Lilith: a female demon in Jewish tradition.
    • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 100b:
      מְגַדֶּלֶת שֵׂעָר כְּלִילִית, וְיוֹשֶׁבֶת וּמַשְׁתֶּנֶת מַיִם כִּבְהֵמָה, וְנַעֲשֵׂית כַּר לְבַעְלָהּ.
      M'gadélet se'ár k-Lilít, v-yoshévet u-mashténet máyim ki-vhemáh, v-na'asét kar l-va'lah.
      She grows her hair long like Lilith, and sits and urinates water like an animal, and serves as a pillow for her husband.

Noun

לִילִית • (lilít) m (plural indefinite לִילִיו or לִילֵי) (Biblical Hebrew, Mishnaic Hebrew)

  1. night-demon, vampire
    • Tanach, Isaiah 34:14, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      וּפָגְשׁוּ צִיִּים אֶת־אִיִּים וְשָׂעִיר עַל־רֵעֵהוּ יִקְרָא אַךְ־שָׁם הִרְגִּיעָה לִּילִית וּמָצְאָה לָהּ מָנוֹחַ׃
      u-fagshú tsiyyím et iyyím v-sa'ír 'al re'éhu yiqrá akh sham hirgi'á lilít u-mats'á lah manóaḥ
      And the wild-cats shall meet with the jackals, And the satyr shall cry to his fellow; Yea, the night-monster shall repose there, And shall find her a place of rest.
    • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Niddah 24b:
      מַעֲשֶׂה בְּסִימוֹנִי בְּאַחַת שֶׁהִפִּילָה דְּמוּת לִילִית וּבָא מַעֲשֶׂה לִפְנֵי חֲכָמִים וְאָמְרוּ וָלָד הוּא אֶלָּא שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ כְּנָפַיִם
      Ma'asé b-Simonéi b-aḥat she-hipilá d'mút lilít, u-va ma'asé lifnéi ḥakhamím v-amrú valád hu éla she-yesh lo k'nafáyim.
      A matter in Simonias where one woman birthed the form of a demon, and the matter was brought before the sages and they said it was a viable offspring, except it had wings.

Noun

לִילִית • (lilít) f (plural indefinite לִילִיּוֹת) (Medieval Hebrew, Neo-Hebrew)

  1. An owl: any member of the genus Strix of nocturnal birds of prey.
  2. (specifically) A tawny owl or brown owl: species Strix aluco.

References

  • Jastrow, Marcus (1903) A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, London, New York: Luzac & Co., G.P. Putnam's Sons, page 707b
  • Kaufman, Stephen A. (1974) The Akkadian Influences on Aramaic (The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago Assyriological Studies; 19)‎, Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 66
  • Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 69
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