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צְעִירָה

𐤑𐤏𐤉𐤓𐤄

tsᵉʻîyrâh

H6812 noun

SILEX Entry

Root צער to be small, to be young, to be insignificant

Definition

Feminine form meaning youngest, youngest daughter, or the youngest (female) member in a group or family; refers to being the youngest by age, birth order, or status among females. It can denote a girl or young woman of lower age relative to others, especially in familial or group contexts.

Semantic Range

youngest (female), youngest daughter, junior woman or girl, younger (female) member, junior in status among females

Root / Etymology

From the root צער (צ-ע-ר), whose core meaning relates to being small, young, or lesser in age or size. צְעִירָה is the feminine adjective or noun form derived from this root, marking gender and referring to a younger or youngest female.

Historical & Contextual Notes

צְעִירָה is most commonly used in the Hebrew Bible to denote the youngest daughter or sister in narrative contexts, contrasting with the elder (גְּדוֹלָה) sibling. For example, it appears in reference to Rachel as the younger daughter of Laban in Genesis 29. The word is distinct from general terms for youth or childhood, such as נַעֲרָה, focusing specifically on relative age or status within a specific group rather than an absolute term for a young woman or girl. Over time, the term’s pattern of usage is stable, persistently indicating 'youngest' or 'junior' among females. It does not designate youthfulness in the sense of vigor or freshness, but rather a birth-order or relative status. English translations often render it as 'younger' or 'youngest,' but sometimes obscure the nuance of sibling order or familial status in the ancient Israelite household.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of צָעִיר; smallness (of age), i.e. juvenility; youth.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

צער (ts-ʿ-r) — smallness, youthfulness, insignificance

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4705 מִצְעָר for a little while
H4706 מִצְעָר Small Peak
H6686 צוּעָר Tsuar
H6730 צִיעֹר and Zior
H6810 צָעִיר the lesser one

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6812-01 כִּ/צְעִרָת֑/וֹ kitseirato HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms according to his youth his youngest daughter 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6812-01 Genesis 43:33 כִּ/צְעִרָת֑/וֹ kitseirato HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms according to his youth his youngest daughter
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