סנפיר

Hebrew

FWOTD – 9 March 2016

סנפירים של הדג Lampanyctodes hectoris

Root
ס־נ־פ־ר (s-n-p-r)
1 term

Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps related to Arabic نَفَرَ (nafara, “to flee in fear”) or Arabic زَنْفَلَ (zanfala, “to hasten”).

Ernest Klein writes: "Prob. formed from base ס־פ־ר with inserted נ and related to Akkadian shappartu/šappartu (shaggy skin), and to Aramaic סַמְפּוֹרָא (point, nail)."

Pronunciation

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

Noun

סְנַפִּיר • (s'napír) m (plural indefinite סְנַפִּירִים)

1. (zootomy) fin, flipper (of a fish or other marine animal)
   • Tanach, Leviticus 11:9, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     אֶת־זֶה תֹּאכְלוּ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בַּמָּיִם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ סְנַפִּיר וְקַשְׂקֶשֶׂת בַּמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים וּבַנְּחָלִים אֹתָם תֹּאכֵלוּ׃

     'et-zé tokh'lú mikól 'ashér bamáyim kól 'asher-ló s'napír v'kashkéshet bamáyim bayamím uvan'khalím 'otám tokhélu.
     ʾeṯ-ze tōḵəlū mikkōl ʾăšer bammā́yim kōl ʾăšer-lō sənappīr wəqašqéšeṯ bammáyim bayyāmīm ūḇannəḥālīm ʾōṯām tōḵḗlū.

     These may ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them may ye eat.

2. (usually in the plural, swimming) fin, flipper (device worn to aid swimming)
3. fin (device that directs airflow, such as of a projectile)
4. fin (device that facilitates heat transfer, such as of a radiator)

References

• “סנפיר” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• סנפיר on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he