כתב

See also: כ־ת־ב and כּתבֿ

Aramaic

Etymology

Verb

כְּתַב • (kəṯaḇ)

to write
- Tanach, Ezra 4:8, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
  רְחוּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵם וְ שִׁמְשַׁי סָפְרָא כְּתַבוּ אִגְּרָה חֲדָה עַל־יְרוּשְׁלֶם לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מַלְכָּא כְּנֵמָא׃
  rəḥūm bəʿēl-ṭəʿēm wəšimšay sāp̄ərā kəṯáḇū ʾiggərā ḥăḏā ʿal-yərūšəlem ləʾartaḥšaśt malkā kənḗmā.
  Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort--

Hebrew

Root
כ־ת־ב (k-t-b)
16 terms

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Semitic *katab-.

Pronunciation

(Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaːˈtab/
(Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kɔːˈθav/ [kʰɔːˈθaːv]
(Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kɔˈθav/ [kʰɔːˈθæːv]
(Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtab/
(Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kɔˈsav/
(Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtav/

Verb

כָּתַב • (katáv) (pa'al construction, future יכתוב / יִכְתֹּב, passive participle כָּתוּב, passive counterpart נִכְתַּב)

to write

Conjugation

Conjugation of **כָּתַב** (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)
finite forms		singular		plural
non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לכתוב / לִכְתֹּב
		action noun		כְּתִיבָה
		passive participle		כָּתוּב

finite forms		m	f	m	f
past	first	כָּתַבְתִּי		כָּתַבְנוּ
	second	כָּתַבְתָּ	כָּתַבְתְּ	כְּתַבְתֶּם¹	כְּתַבְתֶּן¹
	third	כָּתַב	כָּתְבָה	כָּתְבוּ
present		כּוֹתֵב	כּוֹתֶבֶת	כּוֹתְבִים	כּוֹתְבוֹת
future	first	אכתוב / אֶכְתֹּב		נכתוב / נִכְתֹּב
	second	תכתוב / תִּכְתֹּב	תִּכְתְּבִי	תִּכְתְּבוּ	תכתובנה / תִּכְתֹּבְנָה²
	third	יכתוב / יִכְתֹּב	תכתוב / תִּכְתֹּב	יִכְתְּבוּ	תכתובנה / תִּכְתֹּבְנָה²
imperative		כתוב / כְּתֹב	כִּתְבִי	כִּתְבוּ	כתובנה / כְּתֹבְנָה²

¹ Pronounced כָּתַבְתֶּם and כָּתַבְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Derived terms

כָּתַב נֹחַ בְּשֶׁבַע שְׁגִיאוֹת (katáv nóakh b'shéva' shgiót)

Etymology 2

Cognate with Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb).

Pronunciation

(Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kiˈtaːb/, [kʰeˈθaːβ]
(Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈkθɔːv/ [kʰaˈθɔːv]
(Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kəˈθɔv/ [kʰæˈθɔːv]
(Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /keˈtab/
(Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈksɔv/, /kəˈsɔv/
(Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈktav/
- Audio: (file)

Noun

כְּתָב • (k'táv) m (plural indefinite כְּתָבִים, singular construct כְּתַב־, plural construct כִּתְבֵי־) [pattern: קְטוֹל]

writing, script, handwriting

Derived terms

אוֹת כְּתָב (ot k'táv)
כתב אישום / כְּתַב אִשּׁוּם (k'táv 'ishúm)
כְּתָב אַשּׁוּרִי (k'tav ashuri)
כְּתַב בְּרַיְל (ktav brail)
כתב חרטומים / כְּתַב חַרְטֻמִּים (k'tav khartumím)
כְּתַב יָד (k'táv yád)
כְּתַב יְתֵדוֹת (k'tav y'tedót)
כְּתַב עֵת (k'táv 'ét)
כְּתַב־סְתָ״ם (k'táv s'tam)

Etymology 3

Occupational noun from the root כ־ת־ב.

Pronunciation

(Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /katˈtaːb/, [kʰatˈtʰaːβ]
(Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /katˈtɔːv/ [kʰatˈtʰɔːv]
(Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /katˈtɔv/ [kʰætˈtʰɔːv]
(Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtab/ (West), /katˈtab/ (East)
(Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtɔv/
(Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kaˈtav/

Noun

כַּתָּב • (katáv) m (plural indefinite כַּתָּבִים, plural construct כַּתָּבֵי־, feminine counterpart כַּתֶּבֶת) [pattern: קַטָּל]

a newspaper correspondent

References

H3789 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
H3791 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible