אונן

Hebrew

Root
א־נ־ן (ʾ-n-n)
1 term

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /(ʔ)oˈnan/
  • Audio:(file)

Proper noun

אוֹנָן • ('Onánm

  1. (biblical) Onan
    • Tanach, Genesis 38:8, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוּדָה לְאוֹנָן בֹּא אֶל־אֵשֶׁת אָחִיךָ וְיַבֵּם אֹתָהּ וְהָקֵם זֶרַע לְאָחִיךָ׃
      And Judah said unto Onan: ‘Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.’
Derived terms
  • אוֹנֵן ('onén, to masturbate)
  • אוֹנָנוּת ('onanút, onanism, masturbation)
  • אוֹנָנִי ('onaní, onanistic)
Descendants
  • English: Onan
  • Ancient Greek: Αὐνάν (Aunán)

Etymology 2

Derived from the biblical character Onan, who failed to perform the mitzvah of levirate marriage and as a result was put to death by God (Genesis 38:9-11). From the fact that he did so by coitus interruptus a number of Jewish and Christian schools of thought expand upon this story to include masturbation as a sin and the term onanism was thus coined in Western Europe, which was later calqued into Modern Hebrew.

Pronunciation

Verb

אוֹנֵן • ('onén) (pi'el construction)

  1. to masturbate
  2. (slang) to be lazy
Conjugation
Conjugation of אוֹנֵן (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)
non-finite forms to-infinitive לְאוֹנֵן
action noun אוֹנָנוּת
finite forms singular plural
m f m f
past first אוֹנַנְתִּי אוֹנַנּוּ
second אוֹנַנְתָּ אוֹנַנְתְּ אוֹנַנְתֶּם אוֹנַנְתֶּן
third אוֹנֵן אוֹנְנָה אוֹנְנוּ
present מְאוֹנֵן מְאוֹנֶנֶת מְאוֹנְנִים מְאוֹנְנוֹת
future first אֲאוֹנֵן נְאוֹנֵן
second תְּאוֹנֵן תְּאוֹנְנִי תְּאוֹנְנוּ תְּאוֹנֵנָּה1
third יְאוֹנֵן תְּאוֹנֵן יְאוֹנְנוּ תְּאוֹנֵנָּה1
imperative אוֹנֵן אוֹנְנִי אוֹנְנוּ אוֹנֵנָּה1

1 Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Synonyms
  • הביא ביד (heví beyád)
  • עינג את עצמו ('inég et 'atsmó)
  • עשה ביד ('asá beyád)

Noun

אוֹנֵן • ('onénm (plural indefinite אוֹנְנִים, singular construct אוֹנֵן־)

  1. masturbator, onanist

References