Yodh
/joʊθ/noun
The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, representing the consonant /j/ or a related vowel sound.
Did you know?Yodh is the smallest Hebrew letter and represents the number ten; in Kabbalistic thought, its tiny point can symbolize the concentrated seed of creation.
Etymological Timeline
2nd Millennium BCE
Proto-Sinaitic
𐤉
“A pictographic sign resembling a hand, associated with the Semitic word for “hand.””
c. 1050 BCE
Phoenician
𐤉 yod
“The letter yod, still named for “hand” and representing a /y/ sound.”
1st Millennium BCE
Hebrew
י yōd
“The tenth Hebrew letter, named “hand” and used for the consonant /y/.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἰῶτα iōta
“The Greek name for the letter borrowed from the Semitic yod; it came to mean a very small amount.”
14th Century
English
yodh
“An English scholarly spelling of the Hebrew letter name.”
Modern English
English
yodh
“The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, also commonly spelled yod.”