אבטיח

Hebrew

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

Root
ב־ט־ח (b-ṭ-kh)

Cognate with Aramaic אֲבַטִּיחָא and Arabic بَطِيخ (baṭīḵ), mentioned once, in the plural form, in the Hebrew Bible, Numbers 11:5 "זָכַרְנוּ אֶת־הַדָּגָה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַל בְּמִצְרַיִם חִנָּם; אֵת הַקִּשֻּׁאִים וְאֵת הָאֲבַטִּחִים". In the King James Version, אבטיחים is translated into "melons" rather than "watermelons": "We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks".

Noun

אֲבַטִּיחַ • (avatíakh, 'avaṭṭíaḥ) m (plural indefinite אֲבַטִּיחִים)

watermelon (the fruit of the watermelon plant, having a green rind and watery flesh that is typically bright red when ripe and contains black seeds)
watermelon (a plant of the species Citrullus lanatus, bearing a melon-like fruit)
(biblical) some species of fruit similar to the modern watermelon or melon
- Tanach, Numbers 11:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
  זָכַרְנוּ אֶת־הַ דָּגָה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַל בְּ מִצְרַיִם חִנָּם אֵת הַ קִּשֻּׁאִים וְ אֵת הָאֲבַטִּחִים וְ אֶת־הֶ חָצִיר וְ אֶת־הַ בְּצָלִים וְ אֶת־הַ שּׁוּמִים׃
  zakhárnu et-hadagá ashér-nokhál b'mitsráyim khinám ét hakishu'ím v'ét ha'avatikhím v'et-hekhatsír v'et-hab'tsalím v'et-hashumím.
  zāḵárnū ʾeṯ-haddāḡā ʾăšer-nōḵal bəmiṣráyim ḥinnām ʾēṯ haqqiššūʾīm wəʾēṯ hāʾăḇaṭṭīḥīm wəʾeṯ-heḥāṣīr wəʾeṯ-habbəṣālīm wəʾeṯ-haššūmīm.
  We remember the fish, which we were wont to eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;

References

H20 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
“אבטיח” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Etymology 2

Root
ב־ט־ח (b-ṭ-kh)

Verb

אַבְטִיחַ • (avtíakh, 'avṭíaḥ)

First-person singular future (prefix conjugation) of הִבְטִיחַ (hivtíakh): I will promise.