mene tekel

From the Aramaic phrase מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין (mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn, “a mina, a mina, a shekel, and half-shekels”) from Daniel 5:25.

mene tekel n (definite singular mene tekelet, indefinite plural mene tekel, definite plural mene tekela)

1. a solemn, ominous warning or prediction of bad luck
2. a bad omen
3. writing on the wall

• bli vegen og funnen for lett
• skrifta på veggen

• “mene tekel” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• menetekel

Clipping of mene mene tekel u-farsin, the transliteration of the (ominous) Aramaic phrase written on the wall in Daniel 5:25, foretelling the imminent fall of Babylon. Compare Norwegian Nynorsk mene tekel and German Menetekel.

mene tekel n

1. (countable) writing on the wall

   Synonym: skriften på väggen

   • 1931, Tor Andræ, “Paris”, in Nathan Söderblom‎^[1], J.A. Lindblads Bokförlag, accessed at Runeberg.org, archived from the original on 31 May 2025, page 192:

     Förstod ingen, att den betydde en varning, ett mene tekel[?]

     Did no one understand that it was a warning, a writing on the wall?

   • 1949, Hans Ruin, “Den nya sinnligheten”, in I konstens brännspegel‎^[2], Gleerups, accessed at Litteraturbanken.se, courtesy of Göteborgs universitetsbibliotek, archived from the original on 31 May 2025, page 88:

     [M]änniskorna var blinda för de mene tekel, som [...] ristades för deras ögon.

     The people were blind to the writings on the wall, which were carved before their eyes.

• mene tekel in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker