ים

See also: ־ים and י־ם

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
י־מ־ם (y-m-m)

A Northwest Semitic innovation. Compare earlier Eblaite 𒉿𒈬 (wamû, “sea”) which preserves the prototypical /w/ of this root, and distantly related Somali webi (“river”). Cognate with Ugaritic 𐎊𐎎 (ym), Classical Syriac ܝܡܐ (yammāʾ). From Proto-Semitic *wamm- (“sea, river”).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jam/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jɔːm/
• Rhymes: -am

Noun

יָם • (yam) m (plural indefinite יַמִּים, singular construct יַם־, plural construct יַמֵּי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. sea
   • Tanach, Jonah 1:4, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיהוָה הֵטִיל רוּחַ־גְּדוֹלָה אֶל־הַיָּם וַיְהִי סַעַר־גָּדוֹל בַּיָּם וְהָאֳנִיָּה חִשְּׁבָה לְהִשָּׁבֵר׃

     vaYHVH hetíl ruakh-g'dolá el-hayám vay'hí sá'ar-gadól bayám v'ha'oniyá khish'vá l'hishavér.
     waYHWH hēṭīl rūaḥ-gəḏōlā ʾel-hayyām wayəhī saʿar-gāḏōl bayyām wəhāʾŏniyyā ḥiššəḇā ləhiššāḇēr.

     But the LORD hurled a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

2. (Biblical Hebrew) west (the direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°)
   • Tanach, Genesis 12:8, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיַּעְתֵּק מִשָּׁם הָהָרָה מִקֶּדֶם לְבֵית־אֵל וַיֵּט אָהֳלֹה בֵּית־אֵל מִיָּם וְהָעַי מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּבֶן־שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה׃

     vaya'ték mishám hahára mikédem l'vet-'él vayét oholó bet-él miyám v'ha'áy mikédem vayivén-shám mizbéakh laYHVH vayikrá b'shém YHVH.
     wayyaʿtēq miššām hāhā́rā miqqéḏem ləḇēṯ-ʾēl wayyēṭ ʾohŏlō bēṯ-ʾēl miyyām wəhāʿay miqqéḏem wayyiḇen-šām mizbḗaḥ laYHWH wayyiqrā bəšēm YHWH.

     And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east; and he builded there an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

3. (slang) a lot
4. the bottom grindstone (used for grinding flour)

Synonyms

• (compass point): מַעֲרָב (ma'aráv)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “compass point”): קֶדֶם (kédem) (archaic)
• (antonym(s) of “compass point”): מִזְרָח (mizrákh)

Hyponyms

• הַיָּם הַכַּסְפִּי (hayám hakáspi)
• הַיָּם הַצְּפוֹנִי (hayam hatsfoní)
• הים השחור / הַיָּם הַשָּׁחֹר (hayám hashakhór)
• הַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן (hayám hatikhón)
• יַם הַמֶּלַח (yam hamélakh)
• יַם סוּף (yam súf)

Derived terms

• אֲרִי יָם (arí yam)
• בַּת יָם (bat yam)
• זְאֵב־הַיָּם (ze'év hayám)
• חֵיל יָם (khel yam)
• יַמַּאי (yama'í)
• כּוֹבַע יָם (kóva yam)
• כּוֹכַב יָם (kokháv yam)
• כֶּלֶב יָם (kélev yám)
• מֶלַח יָם (mélakh yam)
• מְלָפְפוֹן יָם (m'laf'fón yam)
• מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם (me'éver layám)
• מֵצַר יָם (metsár yam)
• סוּס יָם (sus yám)
• סַרְטַן יָם (sartán yám)
• בגד ים (béged yám)
• עֵיטָם (etám)
• שׁוֹדֵד יָם (shodéd yam)
• שוד ים / שֹׁד יָם (shod yam)
• שְׂפַת הַיָּם (s'fát hayám)

References

• H3220 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• “ים” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• ים on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Anagrams

• ־ים, י־ם, מי, מ״י

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew ים (yam).

Noun

ים • (yam) m, plural ימים (yamem) or ימען (yamen)

1. sea, ocean

   Synonym: מער (mer)

Derived terms

• אײַז־ים (ayz-yam)
• ברעג ים (breg yam)
• גיי קאַקן אויפֿן ים (gey kakn oyfn yam)
• ים־פֿרוכט (yam-frukht)
• ים־גרונט (yam-grunt)