חרא
Hebrew
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Proto-West Semitic *ḫarʔ- of same denotation.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /χaˈʁa/
- (Modern Israeli Hebrew, colloquial) IPA(key): /ˈχa.ʁa/
- Homophone: חָרָה (khará)
Noun
[edit]חָרָא • (khará) m
- (vulgar) crap, shit
- Tanach, 2 Kings 18:27, with translation of the King James Version:
- וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם רַבשָׁקֵה הַעַל אֲדֹנֶיךָ וְאֵלֶיךָ שְׁלָחַנִי אֲדֹנִי לְדַבֵּר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הֲלֹא עַל הָאֲנָשִׁים הַיֹּשְׁבִים עַל הַחֹמָה לֶאֱכֹל אֶת חריהם וְלִשְׁתּוֹת אֶת שיניהם עִמָּכֶם
- vayómer aléhem ravshaqé ha'ál adonécha vealécha shlakháni adoní ledabér et hadvarím haéle haló al ha'anashím hayoshvím al hakhomá le'echól et kharehém velishtót et shenehém imachém
- But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
- (vulgar) undesired person, piece of shit
Usage notes
[edit]- In Modern Hebrew, this is often used attributively or in the construction חרא של (khára shel, literally “a shit of a”) to indicate that something is bad, e.g. khára shel faláfel or faláfel khára (note the colloquial stress on the first syllable) both mean "bad falafel".
Derived terms
[edit]- אָכַל חָרָא (akhál khára)