כור

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
כ־ו־ר (k-w-r)

Derived from Akkadian 𒆠𒉈 (/⁠kuru⁠/, “crucible, kiln, brazier; log, thick reed; short reed mat, collection of reeds”), likely coined from Sumerian 𒄥 (gur, “a bundle”), hence a place of burning bundles of firewood or tinder. Cognate with Aramaic כּוּרָא (kūrā), Classical Syriac ܟܘܪܐ (kūrā), Arabic كُور (kūr), and related to כִּירָה (kirá).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kur/

Noun

כּוּר • (kur) m (plural indefinite כּוּרִים, singular construct כּוּר־, plural construct כּוּרֵי־)

1. A furnace for melting metals.
   • Tanach, Ezekiel 22:22, with translation of the King James Version:

     כְּהִתּוּךְ כֶּסֶף בְּתוֹךְ כּוּר כֵּן תֻּתְּכוּ בְתוֹכָהּ […]

     k'hitúkh késef b'tókh kur ken tutkhú b'tokháh […]

     As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; […]

   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Shabbat 8:4:

     כּוּר שֶׁל צוֹרְפֵי זָהָב

     kur shel tzor'féi zaháv

     a furnace of goldsmiths

   • 200 BCE – 175 BCE, Ben Sira 31.43:

     כּוּר בּוֹחֵן מַעֲשֵׂה לוֹטֵשׁ

     kur bokhén ma'asé lotésh

2. A nuclear reactor.
3. Used figuratively.
   • 1905, Hayim Nahman Bialik, The Scroll of Fire 8:

     צֹרַף לְבַב הָעֶלֶם בְּכוּר מְשֻׁלָּשׁ

     tzoráf l'váv ha'élem b'khúr m'shulásh

Etymology 2

From Akkadian 𒄥 (/⁠kurru⁠/), from Sumerian 𒄥 (GUR, “a bundle of barley; standard unit of capacity”). Cognate with Aramaic כּוֹרָא (kōrā, “a dry measure”), Classical Syriac ܟܘܪܐ (kōrā, “a dry measure”), Arabic كُرّ (kurr, “a dry measure; payment of six donkeys”).

Alternative forms

• כֹּר (defective spelling)

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kor/

Noun

כּוֹר • (kor) m (plural indefinite כּוֹרִים, singular construct כּוֹר־, plural construct כּוֹרֵי־)

1. A biblical measure of weight equal to 10 ephah.

   Synonym: חוֹמֶר

   • Tanach, 1 Kings 5:2, with translation of the New American Standard Bible:
     [Note: Christian Bibles mark this verse as I Kings 4:22]

     וַיְהִי לֶחֶם־שְׁלֹמֹה לְיוֹם אֶחָד שְׁלֹשִׁים כֹּר סֹלֶת וְשִׁשִּׁים כֹּר קָמַח׃

     Vayhí léḥem Shlomó l'yóm eḥád shloshím kór sólet v'shishím kór qémaḥ.

     Solomon's provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal.

References

• “כוּר” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 1 of 3 (א to כ), →ISBN, page 531.
• “כוֹר” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 1 of 3 (א to כ), →ISBN, page 531.
• “כור” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• כור on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he