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ArchivesFeminine form of Moshe
Is there a Hebrew feminine form for the name Moshe? Is there a standard way to femininze Hebrew male names that end in "-e"?
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My sister is mosha’a
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According to these websites it seems that in Hebrew there are several feminine forms of Moshe:
"Q) My daughter was named after my father whose name was Moshe. (...)
A)(...) In the book that I consulted, Davida doesn't appear although "Daliah" and the most popular feminine form of Moshe-- "Masha" do appear."
http://www.yahrzeit.org/qan.html
I don't know, however, if Masha is an independent name used as feminine form of Moshe because of formal similarity (that is very usual) or it is really a feminine form.
"Masha - the name "Musha", a female version of Moshe (Moses), may have been Anglicized into Marsha."
http://jewishwebindex.com/names.htm
"Q) My daughter was named after my father whose name was Moshe. (...)
A)(...) In the book that I consulted, Davida doesn't appear although "Daliah" and the most popular feminine form of Moshe-- "Masha" do appear."
http://www.yahrzeit.org/qan.html
I don't know, however, if Masha is an independent name used as feminine form of Moshe because of formal similarity (that is very usual) or it is really a feminine form.
"Masha - the name "Musha", a female version of Moshe (Moses), may have been Anglicized into Marsha."
http://jewishwebindex.com/names.htm
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Moisha, Mosina.
Meaning: The Hebrew name Mosina means - a form of Moselle.
Meaning: The Hebrew name Mosina means - a form of Moselle.
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No, I don't think there is a feminine form of Moshe.
It looks like Hebrew names ending in -e(h) are very rare. A quick search through Smadar Shir Sidi's "Comple Book of Hebrew Baby Names" produced 8 names:
Menashe, Nae(h), Pele(h), Tene(h), Yafe, Yefune, Yore(h), and Zeide ("grandpa" in Yiddish)
With three of these, the -e(h) is indeed a masculine ending, and with two of them there are feminine equivalents:
NAEH > NAAH ("beautiful, handsome")
YAFE > YAFA ("beautiful")
MENASHE ("he makes forget" i.e. the death of a child); no Menasha, though
YEFUNE and YORE(H) are verbal forms ("he faces" / "he teaches"), and strictly speaking, the feminine equivalents should be TEFUNE and TORE (of course these aren't names).
PELE(H) means "miracle"
The meaning of MOSHE is debated. It's usually assumed that the name is of Egyptian origin ("born of ..." some deity). So in this case it may be hard to apply a standard way of feminization.
Of course ways to feminize names do not necessarily care about grammar rules.
It looks like Hebrew names ending in -e(h) are very rare. A quick search through Smadar Shir Sidi's "Comple Book of Hebrew Baby Names" produced 8 names:
Menashe, Nae(h), Pele(h), Tene(h), Yafe, Yefune, Yore(h), and Zeide ("grandpa" in Yiddish)
With three of these, the -e(h) is indeed a masculine ending, and with two of them there are feminine equivalents:
NAEH > NAAH ("beautiful, handsome")
YAFE > YAFA ("beautiful")
MENASHE ("he makes forget" i.e. the death of a child); no Menasha, though
YEFUNE and YORE(H) are verbal forms ("he faces" / "he teaches"), and strictly speaking, the feminine equivalents should be TEFUNE and TORE (of course these aren't names).
PELE(H) means "miracle"
The meaning of MOSHE is debated. It's usually assumed that the name is of Egyptian origin ("born of ..." some deity). So in this case it may be hard to apply a standard way of feminization.
Of course ways to feminize names do not necessarily care about grammar rules.
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Pele (and I think Tene, as well) ends in an aleph, so it's not correct to spell it Peleh.
The only example that currently comes to mind in which the feminine verbal form is used as a name is with Tair, which is the feminine form of Yair. Yaira also feels logical as a name, although I've never met one. Tidhar is also a name, but there's no Yidhar, so I'm not even sure that's its origin. So there is a precedent to the verbal equivalents being used as names.
To the original poster:
Moshit (mo-SHEET) is an extremely rare feminine form of Moshe (that is, I've heard of one case in which the name was used). I doubt it's used at all outside of religious circles.
The only example that currently comes to mind in which the feminine verbal form is used as a name is with Tair, which is the feminine form of Yair. Yaira also feels logical as a name, although I've never met one. Tidhar is also a name, but there's no Yidhar, so I'm not even sure that's its origin. So there is a precedent to the verbal equivalents being used as names.
To the original poster:
Moshit (mo-SHEET) is an extremely rare feminine form of Moshe (that is, I've heard of one case in which the name was used). I doubt it's used at all outside of religious circles.
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What does she list as the meaning of Teneh? If it's fruit basket or something like that, it ends in an aleph.
+ About Tidhar: I checked, and it's a type of tree in the Bible and a moshav in the Negev. It's probably used as a nature/place name, and has nothing to do with the verb "[she] will gallop"
+ About Tidhar: I checked, and it's a type of tree in the Bible and a moshav in the Negev. It's probably used as a nature/place name, and has nothing to do with the verb "[she] will gallop"
This message was edited 5/11/2008, 11:09 AM
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Ah, I had always been wondering, whether Samadar was a masculine or feminine name (it's not in her book so I assume it's not Hebrew).
For TENEH she gives "wicker basket, fruit basket, pannier."
TIDHAR: "the name of a tree, elm. Also the name of a place (moshav) ..." I was familiar with the tree because of the song Dror yikra. "Gallopping horses"? - rather not. So it must be coincidence.
I think, I have asked before, Noa, and you couldn't help me then. Still: Do you know of a good Israeli name book?
For TENEH she gives "wicker basket, fruit basket, pannier."
TIDHAR: "the name of a tree, elm. Also the name of a place (moshav) ..." I was familiar with the tree because of the song Dror yikra. "Gallopping horses"? - rather not. So it must be coincidence.
I think, I have asked before, Noa, and you couldn't help me then. Still: Do you know of a good Israeli name book?
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Smadar isn't in there?
It's definitely a Hebrew name, and not even an uncommon one. I know at least four women named Smadar (feminine, meaning: "nascent fruit" if you were wondering). I can't think why it's not in there, as it's her own name and the meaning is not obscure at all.
I don't know of a good Israeli name book. There are lists, and astrological stuff that has nothing to do with etymology.
Through quick browsing this website looks decent, and actually deals with etymology: http://www.moriya.org.il/Name/Name1.asp
It's all in Hebrew though, and not all entries mention etymology. If Smadar Shir wrote a book, I think it would be a good bet, as she's an Israeli writing for English-speakers. I can't find name etymology books for Hebrew speakers, for some reason.
ETA: Smadar is even in the database of this site.
It's definitely a Hebrew name, and not even an uncommon one. I know at least four women named Smadar (feminine, meaning: "nascent fruit" if you were wondering). I can't think why it's not in there, as it's her own name and the meaning is not obscure at all.
I don't know of a good Israeli name book. There are lists, and astrological stuff that has nothing to do with etymology.
Through quick browsing this website looks decent, and actually deals with etymology: http://www.moriya.org.il/Name/Name1.asp
It's all in Hebrew though, and not all entries mention etymology. If Smadar Shir wrote a book, I think it would be a good bet, as she's an Israeli writing for English-speakers. I can't find name etymology books for Hebrew speakers, for some reason.
ETA: Smadar is even in the database of this site.
This message was edited 5/12/2008, 10:35 AM
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Thank you very much.
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