Aramaic

Verb

חמץ • ‎(transliteration needed)

1. to be sour

Hebrew

Etymology

From the root ח־מ־ץ . Cognate with Jewish Babylonian Aramaic חמע, Classical Syriac ܚܡܥ, Arabic حمض and Akkadian emēṣu.

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /χaˈmets/
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħaˈmets/, /ħaˈmesˁ/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈχɔməts/
• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ħaːˈmeːsˁ/

Verb

חָמֵץ • ‎(khaméts) ‎(pa'al construction)

1. (of dough) to leaven, ferment

Noun

חָמֵץ • ‎(khaméts) m

1. (collective) products made from leavened flour

Usage notes

• Used mostly in the context of the rules and rituals ahead of and during the Jewish holiday of Passover, where it denotes products forbidden for consumption or possession by Jews during the holiday. In this context, the opposite of חמץ is כשר לפסח (=kosher for Passover).

Derived terms

• ביעור חמץ

Noun

חֹמֶץ • ‎(khómets) m

1. Defective spelling of חומץ