Peshitta
/pəˈʃɪtə/noun
The standard Syriac version of the Christian Bible.
Did you know?The name likely comes from Syriac pšīṭtā, meaning “plain” or “simple,” possibly emphasizing an accessible text rather than a secret or esoteric edition.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*p-š-ṭ
“A root associated with spreading out, making plain, or being straightforward”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
pāšaṭ
“To strip off, spread out, or make plain; the related interpretive term peshat came to mean the plain sense of Scripture”
Late Antiquity
Syriac
pšīṭtā
“Simple, plain, straightforward; feminine form used as the title of the Syriac biblical version”
5th–7th Century
Syriac
Peshitta
“The commonly received or standard Syriac Bible, including its Old and New Testament books”
Modern English
English
Peshitta
“The principal Syriac version of the Bible”
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