זקן

Aramaic

Verb

זְקַן • (zəqan)

1. (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic) to age

Hebrew

Root
ז־ק־ן (z-q-n)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ḏaḳan- (“beard”). Cognate with Akkadian 𒅾 (ziqnum) and Arabic ذَقَن (ḏaqan).

Noun

זָקָן • (zakán) m (plural indefinite זְקָנִים, singular construct זְקַן־, plural construct זִקְנֵי־) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. beard
   • Tanach, Leviticus 19:27, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     לֹא תַקִּפוּ פְּאַת רֹאשְׁכֶם וְלֹא תַשְׁחִית אֵת פְּאַת זְקָנֶךָ׃

     lo tak'fú p'át roshkhém, v'ló tashkhít et p'át z'kanékha

     Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

Related terms

• זְקַנְקַן (z'kankán)
• מזוקן / מְזֻקָּן (m'zukán)

See also

• עַבְדְּקָן (avd'kán)
• שָׂפָם (safám)

Adjective

זָקָן • (zakán) (feminine זְקֵנָה, masculine plural זְקֵנִים, feminine plural זְקֵנוֹת)

1. old, elderly, aged
   • 1987, Arik Einstein, עוף גוזל:

     הַגּוֹזָלִים שֶׁלִּי עָזְבוּ אֶת הַקֵּן / פָּרְשׂוּ כְּנָפַיִם וְעָפוּ / וַאֲנִי צִפּוֹר זְקֵנָה נִשְׁאַרְתִּי בַּקֵּן / מְקַוֶּה מְאוֹד שֶׁהַכֹּל יִהְיֶה בְּסֵדֶר.

     hagozalím shelí az'vú et hakén / par'sú k'nafáyim v'áfu / va'aní tsipór z'kená nish'árti bakén / m'kavé m'ód shehakól yihyé b'séder.

     My chicks have have left the nest, / Spread their wings, And flown away, / and I am an old bird left in the nest, / Hoping very much that everything will be alright.

Usage notes

• This adjective refers only to human beings, animals, and plants. For inanimate objects, the adjective ישן (yashán, “old, longstanding”) is used.
• This adjective means “old” specifically in the sense of “elderly”; English old as in (for example) “old enough to drive a car” or “he's older than she is” would usually be translated to Hebrew with the adjective מבוגר (m'vugár, “old, adult”), and English old as in (for example) “forty years old” would usually be translated to Hebrew with either the masculine noun בן (ben, “old, son”) or the feminine noun בת (bat, “old, daughter”).

Noun

זָקֵן • (zakén) m (plural indefinite זְקֵנִים, singular construct זְקַן־, plural construct זִקְנֵי־, feminine counterpart זְקֵנָה) [pattern: קָטֵל]

1. old person
2. elder, sage
   • 1170 CE, Maimonides, Mishneh Torah:

     אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא נִכְתְּבָה תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, לִמְּדָהּ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ כֻּלָּהּ בְּבֵית דִּינוֹ לְשִׁבְעִים זְקֵנִים; וְאֶלְעָזָר וּפִינְחָס וִיהוֹשׁוּעַ, שְׁלָשְׁתָּן קִבְּלוּ מִמֹּשֶׁה.

     af al pi sheló nikhtevá torá shebe'ál fe, lim'dá moshé rabénu kula bevét dinó leshiv'ím z'kením; v'el'azár ufinkhas vihoshú'a sh'loshtan kib'lú mimoshé

     Although the Oral Torah was not written down, Moses taught all of it in his tribunal to seventy elders; and Eliezer and Phinehas and Joshua all received it from Moses.

3. (Talmudic) grandfather

Verb

זָקַן • (zakán) (pa'al construction)

1. (flowery) to grow old, to grow elderly, to age

Conjugation

Conjugation of זָקַן (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לזקון / לִזְקֹן action noun: — passive participle: —
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	זָקַנְתִּי		זָקַנּוּ
	second	זָקַנְתָּ	זָקַנְתְּ	זְקַנְתֶּם1	זְקַנְתֶּן1
	third	זָקַן	זָקְנָה	זָקְנוּ
present		זָקֵן	זְקֵנָה	זְקֵנִים	זְקֵנוֹת
future	first	אֶזְקַן		נִזְקַן
	second	תִּזְקַן	תִּזְקְנִי	תִּזְקְנוּ	תִּזְקַנָּה2
	third	יִזְקַן	תִּזְקַן	יִזְקְנוּ	תִּזְקַנָּה2
imperative		זְקַן	זִקְנִי	זִקְנוּ	זְקַנָּה2
notes		Pronounced זָקַנְתֶּם and זָקַנְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Synonyms

• הִזְדַּקֵּן (hizdakén)

Anagrams

• נזק

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew זָקֵן (zakén).

Pronunciation

• (YIVO, Northeastern) IPA^(key): /ˈzɔkn̩/
• (Poylish) IPA^(key): /ˈzuːkn̩/, [ˈzʊkn̩]
• (Ukrainish) IPA^(key): /ˈzukn̩/
• Homophone: זאָקן (zokn)

Noun

זקן • (zokn) m, plural זקנים (zkeynem), feminine זקנה (zkeyne), feminine plural זקנות (zkeynes)

1. old person
2. (chess) knight

Synonyms

• (chess): ריטער (riter), שפּרינגער (shpringer)

Derived terms

• זקניש (zkeynish, “aged, elderly”)
• זקנדיק (zokndik, “aged, elderly”)
• מושבֿ־זקנים (moyshev-zkeynem, “nursing home”)