Rosh
/roʊʃ/noun
A Hebrew word meaning head, beginning, chief, or summit, used in English mainly in Jewish religious and cultural terms.
Did you know?Rosh Hashanah literally means “head of the year,” not simply “New Year,” invoking the idea that the year’s destiny begins at its symbolic head.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*raʾš-
“Head; top; beginning”
Ancient Akkadian
Akkadian
rēšu
“Head; chief; summit”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
רֹאשׁ (roʾsh)
“Head; chief; beginning; top”
Late Antique Hebrew
Hebrew
rosh
“Head or beginning, including the head of a month or year”
Medieval Jewish English usage
English
Rosh
“A Hebrew term retained in Jewish religious expressions”
Modern English
English
rosh
“An English loanword referring to the Hebrew concept of head, beginning, or chief”