How to Use the Dictionary



General
  1. The dictionary is fully vocalized, both the Arabic entries and the Hebrew definitions. Therefore, there is no need to add vocalization marks when searching for an Arabic or Hebrew word.
  2. Nominal case endings: nouns that receive tanwin appear without a case ending, e.g., كِتَاب (=كِتَابٌ) nouns that do not receive tanwin appear with a case ending, e.g.,أَبْيَضُ, كَتَائِبُ.
  3. Words beginning with a consonantal alif (alif hamza) that becomes a wasla in mid-sentence positions appear in the dictionary without the hamza, in order to indicate the impermanent nature of the hamza. Examples: اِسْتَقْبَلَ ، اِسْم ، اَلْيَوْمَ ، اُضْطُرَّ.
  4. Arabic words can be entered using the virtual keyboard.
  5. The Arabic-Hebrew dictionary can be searched by word or by root.

Searching by word

  1. To find a verb, enter the verb in the past-tense third person singular masculine form, e.g., كتب or استقبل.

  2. Expressions and idioms can be found by entering the expression as a whole, or by entering a single word from the expression. For example, the definition for بَيْت شَعْر can be found by entering the whole expression, or alternatively by entering بَيْت or شَعْر and scrolling down to "expressions and word combinations." This allows the user to view the definitions for the individual words that make up the expression as well as the definition for the expression itself..

  3. Entering a word that contains the letter alif, in any of it forms (ا ، أ ، إ ، آ ), will yield the appropriate word with any type of alif. For example, a search for ان will yield the definitions for أَنَّ ، إِنَّ ، أَنْ ، إِنْ.


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Searching by root

To search the dictionary by root, enter the three letters of the root without spaces or punctuation marks between them.

The results page

Expressions and word combinations

Underneath some of the entries, you will find a link to "expressions and idioms" (""ביטויים וצירופי מילים), which displays expressions and idioms related to that entry. When the entry is itself an expression or an idiom made of more than one word, the link yields the definitions of the individual words that make up the expression. (See for example, بَيْت شَعْر).

Results of searches by word

Entries identical to the search-string are displayed at the top of the results page, highlighted in red. Further down, separated by a line, are definitions of words that are derived from the same root as the search-word.

Results of searches by root

Verbs are displayed by order of the verb form (wazn):

  1. (فَعَلَ (فَعِلَ ، فَعُلَ
  2. فَعَّلَ
  3. فَاعَلَ
  4. أَفْعَلَ
  5. تَفَعَّلَ
  6. تَفَاعَلَ
  7. . اِنْفَعَلَ
  8. اِفْتَعَلَ
  9. اِفْعَلَّ
  10. اِسْتَفْعَلَ
Nouns and words of other categories are displayed alphabetically.

The structure of the definitions

When a word has several meanings, they are displayed in the following way: synonymous and similar meanings are separated by a comma; distinct meanings are numbered and each appears on a separate line. For example:





Notations included in the entries

The Hebrew letter א following an Arabic verb indicates that the verb takes a direct object (in the accusative case). Note that this notation does not appear after every transitive verb, but only in the following instances:

  1. When the equivalent Hebrew verb does not take a direct (i.e. bare) object, but a prepositional object (i.e. a complement introduced by a preposition). For example: -ضَارَ א הִזִּיק לְ.
  2. When the Arabic verb can appear either with a direct object or with a prepositional object. For example: دَرَى א יָדַע, לָמַד אֶת; دَرَى بِ יָדַע, לָמַד אֶת.
  3. When the verb takes a direct object followed by a prepositional object. For example: فَطَمَ א عَنْ גָּמַל (יוֹנֵק) מִן.
  4. The notation א א following an Arabic verb indicates that the verb takes two direct objects. For example: أَفْقَدَ אא (=أَفْقَدَ فُلاناً شَيْئاً) גָּזַל, שָׁלַל מִן- אֶת.

Searching the Hebrew-Arabic index:

It should be noted that the Arabic-Hebrew lexicon/index presented here is not a full-fledged Hebrew-Arabic dictionary, but can be used as a substitute for such a dictionary. Entering a Hebrew string into the lexicon/index automatically yields all definitions that contain the search-string. The results are screened in such as a way as to include only entries related to the Hebrew word(s) entered in the search.

The Hebrew words must be entered in ketiv haser (called in Latin scripta defectiva). In ketiv haser, the letters yud, vav and aleph that function as vowels in the word are omitted.

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Instructions for the use of scripta defectiva:

Scripta defectiva is the spelling used when the word is vocalized. The Hebrew text in this dictionary is vocalized, so Hebrew search-words must be entered in scripta defectiva.

Example: the word "דוגמה" must be entered as "דגמה", and the word "מילה" (as in the expression "אמור לו מילה טובה") must be entered as "מלה". On the other hand, the word "מילה" as in "ברית מילה" must be entered as "מילה".

Additional examples of scripta defectiva: The word "אושר" must be entered as "אשר". Obviously, this will yield not only the Arabic words whose definitions include the word אֹשֶר, but also definitions that include the words אִשֵּר, אֻשַּר or אֲשֶר.

אופניים in scripta defective: אופנים
חוֹם in scripta defective: חם. The search result in this case will include, in addition to the entries relevant to the search word - חוֹם, also the entries that include the adjective חַם.
חִיפֵּשׂ in scripta defective: חפש. The search result in this case will include, in addition to the entries relevant to the search word - חִפֵּשׂ, also the entries that include the combination of the letters ח פ ש standing for the word חֹפֶשׁ.
בִּיקֵר in scripta defective: בקר. The search result in this case will include, in addition to the entries relevant to the search word בִּקּר, also the entries that include the combination of the letters ב ק ר standing for the words בָּקָר and בֹּקֶר.