דודא

Hebrew

Root
ד־ו־ד (d-w-d)

Etymology

Compare Old Armenian դդում (ddum, “gourd”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

דּוּדָא • (dúda) m (plural indefinite דּוּדָאִים, singular construct דּוּדָא־, plural construct דּוּדָאֵי־)

1. mandrake (plant of the genus Mandragora)
2. (especially in the plural) mandrake (flower or fruit of the mandrake plant)
   • Tanach, Genesis 30:14, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיֵּלֶךְ רְאוּבֵן בִּימֵי קְצִיר־חִטִּים וַיִּמְצָא דוּדָאִים בַּשָּׂדֶה וַיָּבֵא אֹתָם אֶל־לֵאָה אִמּוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר רָחֵל אֶל־לֵאָה תְּנִי־נָא לִי מִדּוּדָאֵי בְּנֵךְ׃

     vayélech r'uvén biméy qtzir-ḥitím vayimtzá duda'ím basadé vayavé 'otám 'el-le'á 'imó vatómer raḥél 'el-le'á tni-ná lí miduda'éi bnéch.
     wayyḗleḵ rəʾūḇēn bīmē qəṣīr-ḥiṭṭīm wayyimṣā ḏūḏāʾīm baśśāḏe wayyāḇē ʾōṯām ʾel-lēʾā ʾimmō wattṓmer rāḥēl ʾel-lēʾā tənī-nā lī middūḏāʾē bənēḵ.

     And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah: ‘Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.’

References

• “דודא” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• דודא on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he