צבי

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
צ־ב־ה (ts-b-h)
1 term

From Proto-Semitic *ṯ̣aby(at-). Compare Arabic ظَبْي (ẓaby) and Aramaic טַבְיָא (ṭaḇyā).

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /sˤəˈviː/, [sˤə̆ˈviː]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /sˤəˈvi/, [sˤaˈviː]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /sˤəˈvi/, [sˤɑˈviː]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /sˤeˈbi/ (East), /t͡seˈbi/ (West)
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /t͡svi/

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Noun

צְבִי • (ts'ví) m (plural indefinite צְבָיִים, singular construct צְבִי־, feminine counterpart צבייה / צְבִיָּה, Biblical Hebrew pausal form צֶבִי) [pattern: קְטִי]

1. gazelle
   • Tanach, 2 Samuel 2:18, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיִּהְיוּ־שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה בְּנֵי צְרוּיָה יוֹאָב וַאֲבִישַׁי וַעֲשָׂהאֵל וַעֲשָׂהאֵל קַל בְּרַגְלָיו כְּאַחַד הַצְּבָיִם אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה׃

     vayihyu-shám sh'loshá b'néi ts'ruyá yo'áv va'avishái va'asa'él va'asa'él kál b'ragláv k'akhád hats'vayím 'ashér basadé.
     wayyihyū-šām šəlōšā bənē ṣərūyā yōʾāḇ waʾăḇīšay waʿăśāʾēl waʿăśāʾēl qal bəraḡlāw kəʾaḥaḏ haṣṣəḇāyīm ʾăšer baśśāḏe.

     And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as light of foot as one of the roes that are in the field.

2. (Modern Israeli Hebrew, proscribed) deer (Cervidae)

   Synonym: אייּל

Derived terms

• עַל קֶרֶן הַצְּבִי (al kéren hats'ví)

Proper noun

צְבִי • (ts'ví) m

1. a male given name, Tzvi

References

• Weninger, Stefan, editor (2011), The Semitic Languages - An International Handbook, KG, Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 208
• H6643 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) “צְבִי”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 540a
• “צבי” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language