Aramaic

Verb

זְקַן • ‎(zəqan)

1. (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic) to age

Hebrew

Noun

זָקָן • ‎(zaqán) m ‎(plural indefinite זקנים, singular construct זקן־)

1. A beard.
   • Leviticus 19:27

     לֹא תַקִּפוּ פְּאַת רֹאשְׁכֶם וְלֹא תַשְׁחִית אֵת פְּאַת זְקָנֶךָ׃‎

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

See also

• שָׂפָם m ‎(safám, “mustache”)

Adjective

זָקֵן • ‎(zaqén) ‎(masculine plural זקנים)

1. old, elderly, aged
   • 1987, Arik Einstein, “עוף גוזל”:

     הַגּוֹזָלִים שֶׁלִּי עָזְבוּ אֶת הַקֵּן / פָּרְשׂוּ כְּנָפַיִם וְעָפוּ / וַאֲנִי צִפּוֹר זְקֵנָה נִשְׁאַרְתִּי בַּקֵּן / מְקַוֶּה מְאוֹד שֶׁהַכֹּל יִהְיֶה בְּסֵדֶר.‎

     hagozalím shelí 'az'vú 'et hakén / par'sú k'nafáyim v'áfu / va'aní tsipór z'kená nish'árti bakén / m'kavé m'ód shehakól yihyé b'séder.

     My chicks have have left the nest, / Spread their wings, And flown away, / and I am an old bird left in the nest, / Hoping very much that everything will be alright.

Usage notes

• This adjective refers only to human beings, animals, and plants. For inanimate objects, the adjective ישן ‎(yashán, “old, longstanding”) is used.
• This adjective means “old” specifically in the sense of “elderly”; English old as in (for example) “old enough to drive a car” or “he's older than she is” would usually be translated to Hebrew with the adjective מבוגר ‎(m'vugár, “old, adult”), and English old as in (for example) “forty years old” would usually be translated to Hebrew with either the masculine noun בן ‎(ben, “old, son”) or the feminine noun בת ‎(bat, “old, daughter”).

Noun

זָקֵן • ‎(zaqén) m ‎(plural indefinite זקנים, singular construct זקן־)

1. elder, sage

Verb

זָקַן • ‎(zaqán) ‎(pa'al construction)

1. To grow old, to grow elderly, to age.

Usage notes

In Modern Israeli Hebrew this verb is considered flowery. In everyday usage the verb הזדקן ‎(hizdakén) is preferred.

Conjugation

Anagrams

• נזק

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew זָקֵן ‎(zakén).

Pronunciation

• Homophone: זאָקן ‎(zokn)

Noun

זקן • ‎(zokn) m, plural זקנים ‎(zkeynem), feminine זקנה ‎(zkeyne), feminine plural זקנות ‎(zkeynes)

1. old person
2. (chess) knight

Synonyms

• (chess): ריטער ‎(riter), שפּרינגער ‎(shpringer)