H2320 חֹדֶשׁ chôdesh → Root
17 languagesRoot of the חדשׁ family (1 member).
The visible new crescent of the moon marking the start of a month; by extension, the period between successive new moons constituting a calendrical month. The term fundamentally refers to a discrete point in the lunar cycle, but develops a broader sense indicating the entire lunar month in Israelite calendrical reckoning.
Etymology
From the root חָדַשׁ (ḥ-d-sh), meaning 'to be new' or 'to renew.' The noun חֹדֶשׁ is formed as a derivative meaning 'new thing' or 'renewal,' here with specific reference to the repeated renewal of the lunar cycle, thus 'new moon.' The meaning 'month' arises secondarily from the period demarcated by each new moon.
| Language | Word | Meaning | Segmentation | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemba | mwenshi | Moon, month | ||
| Bemba | umweshi | moon/month | ||
| Chichewa | mwezi | moon; month | ||
| Kikuyu | mweri | moon; month | ||
| Kongo | Ngodè | the moon | ||
| Kongo | ngonde | moon | ||
| Kuba (Lele) | ngonde | moon | ||
| Lingala | ngɔ́ndɛ | moon | ||
| Luganda | omwezi | moon; month | ||
| Ngombe | ngɔ́ndɛ | moon | ||
| Shona | mwedzi | moon; month | ||
| Sotho | kgwedi | moon; month | ||
| Sukuma | ngwésa | moon; month | ||
| Swahili | mwezi | moon; month | ||
| Tshiluba | mwezi | moon; month | ||
| Tswana | kgwedi | month | ||
| Tswana | ngwedi | moon |