The Evolution of the Hebrew Language
The ancient Hebrew language is not static. During the last 25 years, over 10,000 words have been added to the Hebrew language. This was required to meet the exigencies of modern life in conversational usage. William Chomsky’s “Hebrew: The Eternal Language” is full of examples.
Some words are cloned from Indo-European languages. One example is “TILPHEN” which is the verb “telephone”. Even during Talmudic times, words were often borrowed from other languages. An example is “HIT’AKHSEN” (received hospitality) from the Greek word “XENIA” meaning hospitality.
Theodore Herzl published a Zionest novel, Altneuland. He selected this name for the new state since it symbolized both old (German: alt) and new (German: neu). The city Tel Aviv is a rough Hebrew translation, since “TEL” means mound or ruin (thus symbolizing old), and Aviv is the month of Spring, indicating new.
Hebrew often adds prefixes and suffixes to words to slightly modify the meaning. For example, you can often add the suffix “-ut” to a word. SAMKHUT means “authority” from the root verb SEMEKH” meaning “support”. SIFRUT means “literature” from the noun SEFER meaning book.
Another pattern is for professions. RAMMAN menas genadier (someone who throws hand grenades) from “RIMON” (a pomegrante or “grenade”. Similarly, TZALAM is a photographer, from the stem TZELEM meaning “image” or “shadow”.
Sometimes, you can add the letter “MEM” as a prefix to form a noun. The occurs with Biblical words such as MIKDASH (temple) from KADASH (to sanctify/make holy) and MISHKAN (tabernacle) from SHAKAN (dwell). In Modern Hebrew, we can see such words as MABDED (insulator) from BADAD (insulate)
Sometimes, two words are combined to form a new word. We do this all the time in English, such as “electrocution” (combing electric and execution). RAMZOR (traffic light) is from the word RAMAZ (beckon) and OR (light). Another “light” word is ZARKOR (projector) combines ZARAK (throw) with the same word for light.
English, Yiddish, Russian have contributed to new Hebrew words. SHWITZ means sweat in Yiddish, which inspired the Hebrew word MASHWITZ - a pretneious person. From English, Hebrew has borrowed words such as nylon, tractor, and bateriah (battery). From Russian, the suffix “Nik” is occassionaly used, such as MAPAMIK (a man belonging to the MAPAM party).