נחושת

Hebrew

Chemical element
Cu
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Etymology

Root
נ־ח־שׁ (n-kh-sh)

Compare Arabic نُحَاس (nuḥās, “copper”)

Noun

נחושת / נְחֹשֶׁת • (n'khóshet) f (singular construct נחושת / נְחֹשֶׁת־)

1. (uncountable) copper (a reddish-brown, malleable, ductile metallic element with high electrical and thermal conductivity, symbol Cu, and atomic number 29)

   (poetic, Biblical Hebrew): Bronze or brass (or other alloys of copper)

   • Tanach, 1 Samuel 17:6, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וּמִצְחַת נְחֹשֶׁת עַל־רַגְלָיו וְכִידוֹן נְחֹשֶׁת בֵּין כְּתֵפָיו׃

     U-mitsḥát n'ḥóshet ʿal ragláv v-khidón n'ḥóshet bein k'tefáv.

     And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.

   • 1967, Naomi Shemer (lyrics and music), “ירושלים של זהב [Jerusalem of Gold]”, in שירי נעמי שמר [Songs of Naomi Shemer], performed by Shuly Nathan, Jerusalem, →OCLC:

     יְרוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל זָהָב וְשֶׁל נְחֹשֶׁת וְשֶׁל אוֹר; הֲלֹא לְכָל שִׁירַיִךְ אֲנִי כִּנּוֹר

     Yerushaláyim shel zaháv v-shel n'ḥóshet v-shel or; haló l-khol shiráyikh ani kinnor.

     Jerusalem of gold and of bronze and of light; am I not for all of your songs a violin?

2. Copper: the reddish color associated with this metal.

References

• “נחושת” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• נחושת on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he