Hamesh
/ˈχa.mɛʃ/noun
A transliteration of the Hebrew word חָמֵשׁ, meaning “five.”
Did you know?The same Semitic root behind Hamesh appears in the Hamsa, the “Hand of Five,” a protective symbol associated with blessing and warding off the evil eye.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḫams-
“Five”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
ḥāmēš (חָמֵשׁ)
“Five, the number”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
ḥamēsh
“Five; used in counting and textual interpretation”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
khamsa (خمسة)
“Five; the source of the name Hamsa, literally “five””
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
khamsīn (خمسين)
“Fifty; the source of English “khamsin,” the hot seasonal wind”
Modern English
English
hamesh
“An English transliteration of Hebrew ḥāmēš, “five””