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ו־. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ו־, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ו־ in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ו־ you have here. The definition of the word
ו־ will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ו־, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Aramaic
Etymology
From Proto-Semitic *wa.
Pronunciation
Conjunction
ו־ • (v'-)
- and
Hebrew
Etymology
From Proto-Semitic *wa. Cognate with Arabic وَ (wa).
Pronunciation
Conjunction
וְ־ • (ve-)
- and
Usage notes
- According to traditional grammar, ו־ takes a few different forms, depending on the word to which it is attached.
- The default form, used when none of the below rules apply, is וְ־ (ve-). It is also the only form in ordinary use in colloquial Modern Hebrew.
- When a word begins with יְ־ (y'-), ו־ attaches to it to produce וִי־ (vi-).
- When a word begins with one of the labial consonants (ב, ו, מ, or פ, acronymized as בומ״ף (bumáf)), or when the first vowel in a word is the sheva (the vowel in בְ) and the first consonant is not י, the form וּ־ (u-) is used.
- When the vowel in a word is a khataf vowel, ו־ takes the corresponding non-khataf vowel: וַאֲדָמָה (va'adamá), וֶאֱיָל (ve'eyál), וָחֳדָשׁים (vokhodashím).
- When the khataf vowel is followed by a yud (י), it can optionally become a sh'va, after which the ו־ may also take on a khirik (וִ־). Thus, all three of the following are acceptable combinations of ו־ and הֱיִיתֶם (heyitém, “you (plural) were”): וֶהֱיִיתֶם, וֶהְיִיתֶם, and וִהְיִיתֶם.
- When the first vowel in a word is a stressed vowel, the form וָ־ (va-) is optionally used. In modern Hebrew this is usually limited to set phrases such as וָחֵצִי (vakhétsi, “and a half”).
- In Ancient Hebrew, ו־ was used before every item of a list except the first; in Modern Hebrew, it's usually only used before the last item, like English and.
- In Ancient Hebrew, if ו־ was attached to a verb, it would often "flip" its conjugation; a verb in the perfect aspect (which became Modern Hebrew's past tense) would use the suffix conjugation (like Modern Hebrew's future tense), and a verb in the imperfect aspect (which became Modern Hebrew future tense) would use the prefix conjugation (like Modern Hebrew's past tense). This behavior is called וי״ו ההיפוך (vav hahipúkh) "the ו of flipping"; unlike the ordinary וי״ו החיבור (vav hakhibúr) "the ו of connection", it does not necessarily have a connective sense. Additionally, vav hahipukh often used a different vowel from what the ordinary vav hakhibur would, and occasionally caused the accent to shift.
References
Lishana Deni
Etymology
From Aramaic וְ־ (wə-), וּ־ (ū-).
Conjunction
ו־ (ʾu-)
- and