fbpx

Hebrew word of the Week: nashyanut

Modern languages have many new words, such as racism, feminism, sexism, etc., relating to modern societal trends. Feminism is prominent among them.
[additional-authors]
November 22, 2016

Modern languages have many new words, such as racism, feminism, sexism, etc., relating to modern societal trends. Feminism is prominent among them. This global trend has its “glocal” version in Israel and in Hebrew. In particular, the second wave of feminism in the 1960s and ’70s, with its emphasis on unity and sisterhood, is reflected by the Hebrew word nashyanut.

While the English term (like in French, Italian, etc.) is derived from the Latin femina “woman” (singular), the Hebrew one is from nashim “women” (plural of ishshah “woman”), plus the suffix –an, which designates “one who has a certain skill or quality,” such as safran “librarian,” madde‘an “scientist,” ‘atslan “lazy” or rashlan “sloppy.” To create an abstract noun, or one ending with -ism (or -ship, -ness), Hebrew uses the suffix -ut, such as shamranut “conservatism,” badlanut “isolationism” or rashlanut “sloppiness.”  

Other more or less recent –isms include giz’anut “racism,” minanut “sexism” and gilanut “agism.” “Misogyny” is mizogenyah (היניגוזימ) (or sin’at nashim).


Yona Sabar is a professor of Hebrew and Aramaic in the department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures at UCLA.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

A Bisl Torah — All Over Again

Repenting includes examining and admitting our mistakes. Seeking forgiveness. Determining to do better. Being better. Every single day.

Hanging Out at the Jewish American Summit

Among the speakers, Adam Milstein, a real estate investor, philanthropist and co-founder of the fast-growing Impact Forum, urged attendees to frame antisemitism as an American issue and not just a Jewish issue.

A Festive French Roast

One of my favorite things to cook for the Jewish holidays is a beautiful French roast. It’s so very festive and is perfect to feed a hungry crowd.

The Genius of the Marx Brothers

Like the greatest satirists, such as Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain, they chose comedy over accusation to mock the folly of society and add levity to dark times. But their aim was not levity alone.

AKLA Rises

From a Local Experiment to a National Program: AKLA Expands Its Vision for Jewish Teens

Better Kisser Than a Cook

Sometimes love arrives ahead of you, in spite of you. Cooking slowly became a way of being there for the people I love. A wordless language that says: I see you. I hear you. You’re worth the onion-chopping.

Israel’s Brain-Drain Debate Is Asking the Wrong Question

If an experienced professional with rare expertise leaves Israel, the impact cannot be understood simply by adding another person to a brain-drain statistic. The more relevant question is how many people with comparable experience remain, how essential that expertise is and how easily it can be rebuilt.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.