Samekh
/ˈsɑː.mɛk/noun
The fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, written ס, with the numerical value 60.
Did you know?In Jewish mystical tradition, the circular shape of samekh has been associated with protection and divine surrounding, although that symbolism is interpretive rather than the letter’s proven original meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Canaanite, 2nd millennium BCE
Proto-Canaanite
𐤎
“An early ancestor of the letter, whose original pictorial identity is uncertain; proposed identifications include a support or prop.”
Phoenician, c. 1000 BCE
Phoenician
𐤎 (samek)
“A consonantal letter representing an /s/ sound; its name and original symbol meaning remain debated.”
Biblical Hebrew, 1st millennium BCE
Hebrew
סָמֶךְ (samekh)
“The letter-name used for ס; it is traditionally associated with the Hebrew root סמך, “to support.””
Rabbinic Hebrew, late antiquity
Hebrew
סמיכה (semikhah)
“A related noun meaning “support” or “laying on of hands,” later used for rabbinic ordination.”
Modern English, 19th–20th Century
English
samekh
“An English transliteration of the Hebrew letter ס, also commonly spelled samech.”