כּזבֿ

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew כָּזָב (kazáv). Compare Arabic كَذَبَ (kaḏaba, to lie). The pronunciation kezev may have arisen by analogy with a more familiar word, שקר (sheker).

Pronunciation

  • Properly, according to the Hebrew nikkud:
    • (YIVO, Northeastern) IPA(key): /ˈkɔzɜv/
    • (Poylish) IPA(key): /ˈkuːzɜv/
    • (Ukrainish) IPA(key): /ˈkuzɜv/
  • Also common:
    • (YIVO, Northeastern) IPA(key): /ˈkɛzɜv/
    • (Poylish) IPA(key): /ˈkeɪ̯zɜv/
    • (Ukrainish) IPA(key): /ˈkizɜv/

Noun

כּזבֿ • (kozev or kezevm, plural כּזבֿים (kzovim)

  1. lie, falsehood
    Synonyms: ליגן (lign), שקר (sheker)

Derived terms