אסטניס

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀσθενής (asthenḗs). Cognate to English asthenic.

אסטניס / אִסְטְנִיס • (istnís) m (Mishnaic Hebrew, Medieval Hebrew)

1. finicky or squeamish person, someone delicate or oversensitive to physical discomfort
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah. Berachot, section 2.6:

     רָחַץ לַיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁמֵּתָה אִשְׁתּוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַלְמִידָיו, ״לֹא לִמַּדְתָּנוּ, רַבֵּנוּ, שֶׁאָבֵל אָסוּר לִרְחֹץ!?״ .אָמַר לָהֶם, ״אֵינִי כִשְׁאָר כָּל אָדָם, אִסְטְנִיס אָנִי.״

     Raḥáts láyla ha-rishón she-metá ishtó. Amrú lo talmidáv, "Lo limadtánu, rabénu, she-avél asúr lirḥotz!?" Amár lahém, "Einí khi-sh'ar kol adám, isṭnis áni."

     He washed the first night after his wife died. His students said to him, "Didn't you teach us, rabbi, that a mourner is forbidden from washing!?" He said to them, "I'm not like everyone else. I'm a delicate person."

   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud. Tamid, 27b:

     וְאוֹתוֹ תַּלְמִיד אִיסְטְנִיס הָיָה, וְלֹא רָצָה לִשְׁתּוֹת, וּמֵת בַּצָּמָא

     v-otó talmíd isṭnis hayá, v-lo ratzá lishtót, u-mét ba-tzamá.

     And that student was a squeamish person and did not want to drink, and died of thirst.

• Balashon - Hebrew Language Detective - istenis