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בעל. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
בעל, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
בעל in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
בעל you have here. The definition of the word
בעל will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
בעל, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Hebrew
Etymology 1
From Proto-Semitic *baʕl-.
Pronunciation
Noun
בַּעַל • (bá'al) m (plural indefinite בְּעָלִים, singular construct בַּעַל־, plural construct בַּעֲלֵי־, feminine counterpart בַּעֲלָה)
- master, owner
- husband, male spouse
Noun
בְּעָל • (bə'al) m
- lord, idol
Usage notes
- To avoid any ambiguity or hint of sexism, many modern speakers keep the two senses of בעל strictly distinct as follows:
- When בעל has the sense of husband, it is inflected to indicate a possessor. In the case that its possessor is not a personal pronoun, this produces some redundancy; for example, "Miriam's husband" is translated as בעלה של מרים (ba'aláh shel Miryam), which literally means "her-husband of Miriam". (This sort of construction can occur with other nouns as well, but usually only in more formal contexts.)
- When בעל has the sense of owner, it is seldom so inflected.
- However, some speakers do consider it sexist to use בעל with the sense of husband at all, instead preferring the word איש ('ish, “man”), as it is more directly analogous to the word אישה ('isháh, “woman, wife”).
Declension
Derived terms
Descendants
See also
Proper noun
בַּעַל • (bá'al) m
- Baal (Canaanite deity)
Descendants
Adjective
בַּעַל • (bá'al) m (plural indefinite בַּעַלִים, plural construct בַּעַלֵי־, feminine counterpart בַּעַלָה)
- (only in construct form) having, possessing, (endowed) with (plus a nomen rectum, or סומך (somékh) in Hebrew)
שני האנשים בעלי תואר מצאו עבודה.- shnei ha'anashím ba'aléi toár mats'ú avodá.
- The two men with degrees found work.
Usage notes
- This word can only be used as an adjective in the construct state—סמיכות (smikhút) in Hebrew—where בעל (bá'al) is the inflected נסמך (nismákh) and is followed by another noun, the סומך (somékh) (also known to linguistics in general as the nomen rectum). Together, and following another noun, this construct can thus function as an adjective with the meaning of "having/possessing/(endowed) with noun", where noun is the second part of the construction, the סומך (somékh) or nomen rectum. For an example of how this works, see the usage example provided above.
- Unlike standard Hebrew adjectives, בעל (bá'al) in such constructs is not declined in the same simple way, according to only the grammatical gender and number of the noun it modifies, nor does it carry its definiteness. Rather, בעל (bá'al) in such usage never receives a definite article, even when modifying a definite noun, and it is always inflected in the construct form unique to Hebrew nouns, with the grammatical gender and number of the noun it modifies. The usage example provided above shows use with a masculine plural definite noun, to elucidate these important differences. In this example, the word בעל (bá'al) carries the grammatical gender and number of the noun it modifies, אנשים (anashím), but it is inflected in the construct form and has not inherited the definite article of האנשים.
Etymology 2
Verbal form related to the above noun.
Pronunciation
Verb
בָּעַל • (ba'ál) (pa'al construction)
- (dated) to have sexual intercourse
Conjugation
References
Anagrams