Heth
/hɛt/noun
The eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ח, traditionally transliterated as ḥ or kh.
Did you know?Heth is often traced to a Proto-Sinaitic sign resembling a fence or enclosure, making its history a rare meeting point of writing, boundaries, and sacred symbolism.
Etymological Timeline
2nd Millennium BCE
Proto-Sinaitic
ḥ
“A consonantal sign associated by many scholars with a fence or enclosure, though the precise pictorial origin remains debated.”
1st Millennium BCE
Phoenician
𐤇 ḥet
“The eighth consonant of the Phoenician alphabet, representing a strongly articulated h-like sound.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
חֵית ḥēt
“The eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.”
Hellenistic Period
Greek
ἦτα ēta
“A Greek letter-name and adaptation connected with the Semitic alphabetic tradition, though Greek sound values later changed.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
heth
“A scholarly Latin transliteration of the Hebrew letter ח.”
Modern English
English
heth
“The English name for the eighth Hebrew letter, also spelled cheth, chet, or ḥet.”