Melech
/ˈmɛlɛχ/noun
A Hebrew word meaning “king,” especially used in Jewish religious, biblical, or mystical contexts.
Did you know?The same Semitic root appears in “Moloch,” though scholars debate whether the biblical term was a deity’s name or a title associated with sacrificial rites.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*malik-
“King or ruler; a reconstructed Semitic title of authority.”
2nd Millennium BCE
Ugaritic
mlk
“King; a consonantal form recorded in ancient Northwest Semitic texts.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מֶלֶךְ — melekh
“King, ruler, or sovereign.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מֹלֶךְ — mōlekh
“Molech or “the king”; a controversial biblical term connected with rites involving children.”
Classical Aramaic
Aramaic
מַלְכָּא — malkā
“The king.”
Modern English
English
melech
“A transliteration of Hebrew melekh, used in English religious and scholarly writing to mean “king.””
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