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1/ 🥒 Ever wonder about the Hebrew word for "cucumber"? It's מְלָפְפוֹן (mɛ.lɑ.fɛˈfon). But the story of this word is not just about cucumbers; it's a tale of linguistic twists and turns.
2/ 🍉 In the 1950s, Shemuel Yeivin addressed the newly founded @Hebacademy, questioning the attempt to revive an ancient biblical word, קִשּׁוּא (kiˈʃu), for cucumbers. He said, "Not that I'm bothered by the mocking, but try to ask the grocer for a קישוא and see what you get."
3/ 🥗 The discussion centered around what word to use for cucumbers. The Hebrew Academy's preference was קִשּׁוּא, sourced from Numbers 11:5. However, there was a hiccup; Israelis were already using קִשּׁוּא (kiˈʃu) for another vegetable – summer squash.
4/ 🥦 So, for cucumbers, people used the Mishnaic word מְלָפְפוֹן, the same word the Hebrew Academy wanted to repurpose for "melon." Why? Because it was the ancient Greek word for melon: μηλοπέπων (mɛː.lo.pé.pɔːn), which also led to the English word "melon."
5/ 📚 Folks had been calling cucumbers מְלָפְפוֹן since at least 1912 when a farmer from Petah Tikva published a booklet about farming vegetables using that name. The Hebrew Academy's efforts to change this proved futile.
6/ 🌱 Today, מְלָפְפוֹן is still "cucumber," קִשּׁוּא is still "summer squash," and the melon is called מֵלוֹן (mɛˈlon), derived from Yiddish מעלאָן. Language, like culture, evolves organically. 🗣️📜 #HebrewLanguage #WordHistory #Cucumber
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