Perushim
/peʁuˈʃim/noun
A Hebrew plural term referring primarily to the Pharisees, or to groups understood as “separated ones.”
Did you know?The term is connected with the Pharisees, a Jewish movement whose influence helped shape rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*parash-
“To separate, distinguish, or set apart; reconstructed Semitic root”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
פרש (p-r-sh)
“To separate, distinguish, or explain, depending on the related Hebrew usage”
Second Temple Period
Aramaic
פְּרִישַׁיָּא (perīšayyā)
“The separated ones; the Aramaic designation associated with the Pharisees”
Mishnaic Hebrew
Hebrew
פְּרוּשִׁים (perushim)
“Plural of פרוש (parush), literally separated persons; commonly the Pharisees”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Φαρισαῖοι (Pharisaioi)
“The Pharisees, a Jewish religious movement”
Late Middle English
English
Pharisees
“English form adopted through Greek and Latin transmission”
Modern English
English
Perushim
“A Hebrew transliteration used for the Pharisees or other historically named separatist Jewish groups”