הסתפר

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ס־פ־ר (s-p-r)
17 terms

Formed on the same basis as סיפר / סִפֵּר (sipér, “to cut hair”), תספורת / תִּסְפֹּרֶת (tispóret, “haircut”) and מספריים / מִסְפָּרַיִם (misparáyim, “scissors”).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(h)istaˈper/

Verb

הִסְתַּפֵּר • (histapér) (hitpa'el construction)

1. to get a haircut
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Avodah Zarah 2:2:

     מִתְרַפְּאִין מֵהֶן רִפּוּי מָמוֹן, אֲבָל לֹא רִפּוּי נְפָשׁוֹת. וְאֵין מִסְתַּפְּרִין מֵהֶן בְּכָל מָקוֹם, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר

     We may allow them to heal us when the healing relates to money, but not personal healing; Nor should we have our hair cut by them in any place, this is the opinion of Rabbi Meir.

Conjugation

Conjugation of הִסְתַּפֵּר (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לְהִסְתַּפֵּר
		action noun		הִסְתַּפְּרוּת
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	הִסְתַּפַּרְתִּי		הִסְתַּפַּרְנוּ
	second	הִסְתַּפַּרְתָּ	הִסְתַּפַּרְתְּ	הִסְתַּפַּרְתֶּם	הִסְתַּפַּרְתֶּן
	third	הִסְתַּפֵּר	הִסְתַּפְּרָה	הִסְתַּפְּרוּ
present		מִסְתַּפֵּר	מִסְתַּפֶּרֶת	מִסְתַּפְּרִים	מִסְתַּפְּרוֹת
future	first	אֶסְתַּפֵּר		נִסְתַּפֵּר
	second	תִּסְתַּפֵּר	תִּסְתַּפְּרִי	תִּסְתַּפְּרוּ	תִּסְתַּפֵּרְנָה1
	third	יִסְתַּפֵּר	תִּסְתַּפֵּר	יִסְתַּפְּרוּ	תִּסְתַּפֵּרְנָה1
imperative		הִסְתַּפֵּר	הִסְתַּפְּרִי	הִסְתַּפְּרוּ	הִסְתַּפֵּרְנָה1

¹ Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References

• Klein, Ernest (1987) “ספר”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 455c
• Jastrow, Marcus (1903) A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, London, New York: Luzac & Co., G.P. Putnam's Sons, page 1017a