שמיר

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Hebrew

Root
שׁ־מ־ר (sh-m-r)
15 terms

Etymology 1

Alteration of שֻׁמָּר (šummā́r, “fennel”)

Noun

שָׁמִיר • (šamīr) m

  1. dill (Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed)
  2. (Biblical Hebrew) some kind of plant
    • Tanach, Isaiah 32:13, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      עַל אַדְמַת עַמִּי קוֹץ, שָׁמִיר תַּעֲלֶה; כִּי עַל־כָּל־בָּתֵי מָשׂוֹשׂ, קִרְיָה עַלִּיזָה.
      'al admát 'ammí qotz, shamír ta'lé; ki 'al-kol-batḗ masós, qiryá 'allizá.
      For the land of my people, whereon thorns and briers come up; Yea, for all the houses of joy, and the joyous city.

Etymology 2

Probably an unattested word from an Anatolian language. This word is also ancestral to Ancient Greek Σμύρνᾱ (Smúrnā, “Smyrna, Izmir”), and the dialectal forms Aeolic, Attic Ancient Greek Μύρρᾱ (Múrrhā), Ionian Ancient Greek Σμύρνη (Smúrnē), whose name would derive from the emery deposit in the area.

Cognates include Ancient Egyptian Ꜣsmr, Akkadian 𒉌𒌓𒌑 (NA₄U2 /⁠šammu⁠/, “emery, corundum, adamant”), Egyptian jsmr, smr “emery”, JPA, JLA Aramaic שָׁמִירָא (šāmīrā), Classical Syriac ܫܡܝܪܐ (šmyr’), whence Arabic سَامُور‬‎ (sāmūr). Ancient Greek σμύρῐς (smúrĭs, “emery-powder”) likely loaned from a Semitic cognate of the Hebrew.

Noun

שָׁמִיר • (shamír) m

  1. (petrology) emery
    • Tanach, Ezekiel 3:9, with translation of the New American Standard Bible:
      כְּשָׁמִיר חָזָק מִצֹּר נָתַתִּי מִצְחֶךָ
      kəshamír ḥazáq mittzór natátti mitzḥécha
      Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead
  2. (mythology) mythical stone, or possibly worm, that could cut through or disintegrate any substance it came in contact with, adamant
Descendants
  • → Aramaic:
    Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Jewish Literary Aramaic: שָׁמִירָא (šāmīrā)
    Classical Syriac: ܫܡܝܪܐ (šāmīrā)
  • → Old Church Slavonic: шамиръ (šamirŭ) (mythical bird mentioned in Barsov Palea)

References

  • Ayil, Ephraim S. (2024). "Chapter 15 ‮שָׁמִיר‬‎ Šāmīr—Emery". In Identifying the Stones of Classical Hebrew. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004678002_016
  • “שמיר” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

Yiddish

Etymology 1

Deverbal from שמירן (shmirn). Cognate to German Schmiere. Cognate with German schmieren, English smear.

Noun

שמיר • (shmir) m, plural שמירן (shmirn)

  1. batch of things that go together
  2. aggregate, smear, spread
  3. bribe
  4. schmear, the whole package, the entire deal
  • שמירן (shmirn, “to smear, grease; to bribe”)
Descendants

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

שמיר • (shmir)

  1. inflection of שמירן (shmirn):
    1. first-person singular present
    2. imperative singular
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