כתב

See also: כ־ת־ב and כּתבֿ

Aramaic

Etymology

From Proto-West Semitic *katab-.

Verb

כְּתַב • (kəṯaḇ)

1. to write
   • Tanach, Ezra 4:8, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     רְחוּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵם וְשִׁמְשַׁי סָפְרָא כְּתַבוּ אִגְּרָה חֲדָה עַל־יְרוּשְׁלֶם לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מַלְכָּא כְּנֵמָא׃

     rəḥūm bəʿēl-ṭəʿēm wəšimšay sāp̄ərā kəṯáḇū ʾiggərā ḥăḏā ʿal-yərūšəlem ləʾartaḥšaśt malkā kənḗmā.

     Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort--

Hebrew

Root
כ־ת־ב (k-t-b)
16 terms

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Semitic *katab-.

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaːˈtab/, [kʰaːˈθav]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kɔːˈθav/ [kʰɔːˈθaːv]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kɔˈθav/ [kʰɔːˈθæːv]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtab/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kɔˈsav/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtav/

Verb

כָּתַב • (katáv) (pa'al construction, future יכתוב / יִכְתֹּב, passive participle כָּתוּב, passive counterpart נִכְתַּב)

1. to write

Conjugation

Conjugation of כָּתַב (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לכתוב / לִכְתֹּב
		action noun		כְּתִיבָה
		passive participle		כָּתוּב
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	כָּתַבְתִּי		כָּתַבְנוּ
	second	כָּתַבְתָּ	כָּתַבְתְּ	כְּתַבְתֶּם1	כְּתַבְתֶּן1
	third	כָּתַב	כָּתְבָה	כָּתְבוּ
present		כּוֹתֵב	כּוֹתֶבֶת	כּוֹתְבִים	כּוֹתְבוֹת
future	first	אכתוב / אֶכְתֹּב		נכתוב / נִכְתֹּב
	second	תכתוב / תִּכְתֹּב	תִּכְתְּבִי	תִּכְתְּבוּ	תכתובנה / תִּכְתֹּבְנָה2
	third	יכתוב / יִכְתֹּב	תכתוב / תִּכְתֹּב	יִכְתְּבוּ	תכתובנה / תִּכְתֹּבְנָה2
imperative		כתוב / כְּתֹב	כִּתְבִי	כִּתְבוּ	כתובנה / כְּתֹבְנָה2

¹ Pronounced כָּתַבְתֶּם and כָּתַבְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Derived terms

• כָּתַב נֹחַ בְּשֶׁבַע שְׁגִיאוֹת (katáv nóakh b'shéva' shgiót)

See also

• רָשַׁם (rashám)

Etymology 2

Cognate with Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb).

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kiˈtaːb/, [kʰeˈθaːβ]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈkθɔːv/ [kʰaˈθɔːv]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kəˈθɔv/ [kʰæˈθɔːv]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /keˈtab/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈksɔv/, /kəˈsɔv/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈktav/

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Noun

כְּתָב • (k'táv) m (plural indefinite כְּתָבִים, singular construct כְּתַב־, plural construct כִּתְבֵי־) [pattern: קְטוֹל]

1. writing, script, handwriting

Derived terms

• אוֹת כְּתָב (ot k'táv)
• כתב אישום / כְּתַב אִשּׁוּם (k'táv 'ishúm)
• כְּתָב אַשּׁוּרִי (k'tav ashuri)
• כְּתַב בְּרַיְל (ktav brail)
• כתב חרטומים / כְּתַב חַרְטֻמִּים (k'tav khartumím)
• כְּתַב יָד (k'táv yád)
• כְּתַב יְתֵדוֹת (k'tav y'tedót)
• כְּתַב עֵת (k'táv 'ét)
• כְּתַב־סְתָ״ם (k'táv s'tam)

Etymology 3

Occupational noun from the root כ־ת־ב.

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /katˈtaːb/, [kʰatˈtʰaːβ]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /katˈtɔːv/ [kʰatˈtʰɔːv]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /katˈtɔv/ [kʰætˈtʰɔːv]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtab/ (West), /katˈtab/ (East)
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtɔv/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtav/

Noun

כַּתָּב • (katáv) m (plural indefinite כַּתָּבִים, plural construct כַּתָּבֵי־, feminine counterpart כַּתֶּבֶת) [pattern: קַטָּל]

1. a newspaper correspondent

References

• H3789 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• H3791 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible