כי
See also: כ״י and Appendix:Variations of "ki"
Aramaic
editPronunciation
editConjunction
editכי • (kay)
Hebrew
editEtymology 1
editFrom Proto-Semitic *kiyā.
Adverb
editכִּי • (ki)
- (archaic) so, thus
- Mishna, שבועות, 6:7:
- המלוה את חברו על המשכון ואבד המשכון אמר לו סלע הלויתיך עליו ושקל היה שוה והלה אומר לא כי אלא סלע הלויתני עליו וסלע היה שוה […]
- One who lends to his friend against collateral and the collateral is gone: [If] he told him "I lent you a sela against it, and it was worth a shekel" and the other says "not so; rather, you lent me a sela against it and it was worth a sela" […]
- Mishna, שבועות, 6:7:
Synonyms
editConjunction
editכִּי • (ki, kī)
- because, for, since
- הלכתי למכולת לקנות שקית חלב כי אמי ביקשה ממני.
- halákhti lamakólet liknót sakít khaláv kí 'imí bik'shá miméni.
- I went to the grocery store to buy a bag of milk because my mother asked me to.
- השמש נמצאת עכשיו במזרח, כי זוהי שעת זריחתה.
- hashémesh nimtsét akhsháv bamizrákh, kí zóhi sh'át z'rikhatáh.
- The sun is in the east now, for this is the hour of its rising.
- (dated or formal) that; used to introduce declarative content clauses
- המורה הודיעה כי מחר יתקיים יום ספורט בית־ספרי.
- hamorá hodí'a ki makhár yitkayém yóm spórt bet-sifrí.
- The teacher announced that tomorrow will be a school sports day.
- על השלט נכתב כי אסור להפריע את מנוחת הדיירים בין 2 ל־4 בצהריים.
- al hashélet nikhtáv kí asúr l'hafría' 'et m'nukhát hadayarím ben 2 l'-4 batsohoráyim.
- The sign says (literally On the sign is written) that [it is] forbidden to disturb the tenants' rest between 2 and 4 in the afternoon.
- (archaic) when, as, at the time that
- (archaic) rather, but, but rather
Synonyms
edit- (because): בִּגְלַל שֶׁ־ (biglál she-), משום ש־ (mishúm she-), מִפְּנֵי שֶׁ־ (mip'né she-)
- (that): שֶׁ־ (she-)
- (when): כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka'ashér)
- (rather): אלא (éla), אֲבָל (avál)
Etymology 2
editFrom Ancient Greek χεῖ (kheî).
Noun
editכִי • (khi, ḵī) f
- chi (the twenty-second letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets)
- a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Horayot 12a:
- כֵּיצַד מוֹשְׁחִין אֶת הַמְּלָכִים? כְּמִין נֵזֶר. וְאֶת הַכֹּהֲנִים? כְּמִין כִּי. מַאי כְּמִין כִּי? אָמַר רַב מְנַשְּׁיָא בַּר גַּדָּא, כְּמִין כַּף יְוָנִי.
- ketsád moshkhín et ham'lakhím? k'min nézer. v'et hakohaním? k'min ki. may k'min ki? amár rav m'nashy bar gada, k'min kaf y'vaní.
- In what way are kings anointed? Like a crown. And priests? Like a chi. What does "like a chi" mean? Says Rav Menashya bar Gadda, like the Greek version of kaph.
Etymology 3
editCognate to Arabic كَيّ (kayy).
Noun
editכִּי • (ki, kī) m
- cauterization, branding
- Tanach, Isaiah 3:24, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
- וְהָיָה תַחַת בֹּשֶׂם מַק יִהְיֶה וְתַחַת חֲגוֹרָה נִקְפָּה וְתַחַת מַעֲשֶׂה מִקְשֶׁה קָרְחָה וְתַחַת פְּתִיגִיל מַחֲגֹרֶת שָׂק כִּי תַחַת יֹפִי
- Və–hayah táḥat bósem maq yihyeh, və-táḥat ḥagorah niqpah, və-táḥat ma’aseh miqsheh qorḥah, və-táḥat pətigil makhagóreth saq, ki táḥat yófi.
- And it shall come to pass, that Instead of sweet spices there shall be rottenness; And instead of a girdle rags; And instead of curled hair baldness; And instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; Branding instead of beauty.
Etymology 4
editCompared with Arabic كُي (kuy, “ibis, pelican”).
Noun
editכִּי • (ki, kī) m
Further reading
edit- Schoors, Anton (1981) “The Particle כי”, in Remembering All the Way … – A Collection of Old Testament Studies Published on the Occasion of the Fortieth Anniversary of the Oudtestamentisch Werkgezelschap in Nederland, Leiden: Brill, pages 240–276
- כי on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia he
Mozarabic
editAlternative forms
edit- כ (k)
Etymology
editInherited from Latin quid. Compare Portuguese que and Spanish qué.
Determiner
editכי (ky)
- what
- c. 1100, Kharja H16, section 1:
- כי פראיו או כי שיראד דמיבי
- ky frʔyw ʔw ky šyrʔd dmyby
- What shall I do, what will become of me?
- (literally, “What shall I do or what will be of me?”)
Categories:
- Aramaic terms with IPA pronunciation
- Aramaic lemmas
- Aramaic conjunctions
- Hebrew terms inherited from Proto-Semitic
- Hebrew terms derived from Proto-Semitic
- Hebrew lemmas
- Hebrew adverbs
- Hebrew terms with archaic senses
- Hebrew terms with quotations
- Hebrew conjunctions
- Hebrew terms with usage examples
- Hebrew dated terms
- Hebrew formal terms
- Hebrew terms borrowed from Ancient Greek
- Hebrew terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Hebrew nouns
- Hebrew terms beginning with an unchangeable begedkefet letter
- Hebrew feminine nouns
- Hebrew masculine nouns
- Hebrew hapax legomena
- he:Greek letter names
- Mozarabic terms inherited from Latin
- Mozarabic terms derived from Latin
- Mozarabic lemmas
- Mozarabic determiners
- Mozarabic terms with quotations