Kiryat
/ˈkɪr.jɑt/noun
A Hebrew word meaning “city” or “town,” commonly appearing in Israeli place names.
Did you know?Kiryat is the construct form of Hebrew qiryah, so names such as Kiryat Shmona literally mean “the city of Shmona,” preserving an ancient Semitic naming pattern.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*qary-
“A settlement, town, or inhabited place”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
קִרְיָה (qiryāh)
“City, town, or settlement”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
קִרְיַת (qiryat)
“Construct form meaning “city of” or “town of””
Ancient Aramaic
Aramaic
קְרִיתָא (qĕrīṯā)
“City or town; a related Semitic form”
Medieval Hebrew
Hebrew
qiryat
“A literary and grammatical form meaning “city of””
Modern Hebrew
Hebrew
קִרְיַת (Kiryat)
“A place-name element meaning “city of” or “town of””
Modern English
English
Kiryat
“A transliterated Hebrew element used in Israeli proper names”