שסק

Hebrew

Root
שׁ־ס־ק (sh-s-q)
1 term

Etymology

Originally from Aramaic שִׁסְקָא, mentioned in the Talmud, the identification of which is unclear, although it was variously applied to the plum, almond or medlar by medieval commentators.[1]

The interpretation as medlar was adopted in the revival of Hebrew by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, which was subsequently re-nativized to mean loquat, likely influenced by Arabic إِسْكِدُنْيَا (ʔiskidunyā, medlar, loquat).[1] Also compare Portuguese nêspera, as well as Italian nespola del Giappone, Spanish níspero japonés, French nèfle du Japon, German Japanische Mispel.

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Noun

שֶׁסֶק • (shésekm (plural indefinite שְׁסָקִים, plural construct שִׁסְקֵי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

  1. loquat

References

  • שסק” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language
  1. 1.0 1.1 Gilad, Elon (2018) “״פירוש אחד שקדים, פירוש אחר אפרסקין״: כיצד הגענו אל השֶׁסֶק?”, in Haaretz[1] (in Hebrew), retrieved 9 May 2025

Further reading