Kab
/kæb/noun
An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure, approximately 1.2 liters, though its exact volume is uncertain.
Did you know?The kab is mentioned in 2 Kings 6:25 during the siege of Samaria, where extreme famine drove people to pay exorbitant prices for barely edible food.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Semitic
Hebrew
קַב (qāḇ)
“A small dry measure used for grain or other commodities”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κάβος (kabos)
“A Hebrew measure, recorded through biblical and scholarly usage”
Late Antiquity
Latin
cab
“A transliterated name for the Hebrew dry measure”
17th Century
English
cab
“An English biblical form referring to the Hebrew measure”
19th Century
English
kab
“A variant spelling of cab, the ancient Hebrew measure”
Modern English
English
kab
“A rare historical or biblical term for a small Hebrew dry measure”