לקראת

Derived from קִרְאָה (kir'á), the infinitive construct of קָרָא (kará, “to meet”), with the prefix לְ־ (l'-, “to”). The resulting form לְקִרְאַת־ changed to לִקְרַאת־ due to the loss of the glottal stop, which in this case is only written as an etymological relict.^[1]

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /likˈʁat/

לִקְרַאת • (likrát)

1. to meet; toward: moving in the direction of
   • Tanach, Exodus 4:27, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־אַהֲרֹן לֵךְ לִקְרַאת מֹשֶׁה הַמִּדְבָּרָה וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּ בְּהַר הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּשַּׁק־לוֹ׃

     And the LORD said to Aaron: ‘Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.’ And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

   • Solomon Alkabetz, Lekha Dodi:

     לְכָה דוֹדִי לִקְרַאת כַּלָּה פְּנֵי שַׁבָּת נְקַבְּלָה

     Let’s go, my beloved, to meet the bride, let us welcome the presence of Shabbat.

2. opposite
   • Tanach, Genesis 15:10, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיִּקַּח־לוֹ אֶת־כׇּל־אֵלֶּה וַיְבַתֵּר אֹתָם בַּתָּוֶךְ וַיִּתֵּן אִישׁ־בִּתְרוֹ לִקְרַאת רֵעֵהוּ וְאֶת־הַצִּפֹּר לֹא בָתָר׃

     And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other; but the birds divided he not.