Pentateuch
/ˈpɛn.tə.tjuːk/noun
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses and known in Judaism as the Torah.
Did you know?The name is Greek rather than Hebrew, reflecting the Hellenistic-era practice of organizing the Torah into five scrolls or books.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pénkʷe
“Five; the ancestral numeral behind the first element of the name.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πέντε (pente)
“Five.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
τεῦχος (teukhos)
“A tool, implement, container, or book-volume; the sense developed from an object used or made.”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
πεντάτευχος (pentáteukhos)
“A work in five volumes or books.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Pentateuchus
“The five-book work of Moses, borrowed from Greek.”
Middle English
English
Pentateuch
“The first five books of the Bible.”
Modern English
English
Pentateuch
“The Torah or first five books of the Hebrew Bible.”