חומוס
khúmus
The English phrase 'chickpeas' is translated into Hebrew as חומוס (khúmus).
חומוס refers to the round, beige legumes used as food. In common usage, this is the same word used for the popular Middle Eastern dip 'hummus'.
What does it mean word for word?
The more precise phrase גרגרי חומוס is composed of גרגרי, meaning 'grains of' and חומוס, meaning 'hummus/chickpeas'.
Which one should you use?
While חומוס can mean the legume, the phrase גרגרי חומוס (literally 'grains of hummus') is often used to specifically refer to the whole chickpeas themselves.
How do you pronounce it?
khúmus
Did you know?
- In Israel, if you order חומוס at a restaurant, you will likely receive a plate of the creamy dip topped with whole chickpeas, rather than a bowl of plain legumes.
- The word חומוס is a loanword from Arabic, reflecting the deep historical and culinary influence of Arabic on the Hebrew language.
- In many Hebrew-speaking contexts, the term חומוס has become a cultural shorthand for a quick, inexpensive, and ubiquitous street food meal.
Examples in context
- המנה השניה כללה גרגרי חומוס, עוף, נקניק ותפוח אדמה.The second course has chickpeas, chicken, meat, sausage and potato.This sentence is useful for seeing how to list chickpeas as an ingredient in a dish.Tatoeba #4806224 by fekundulo, translation #462908 by lukaszpp
- אני אוהב לאכול חומוס בלילה.I love to eat chickpeas at night.
- יש לנו שק של חומוס במטבח.Yesh lanu sak shel chumus ba'mitbach.We have a bag of chickpeas in the kitchen.
Example conversation
Two people are planning what to cook for dinner.
- עגור Adiנועם, אתה רוצה לאכול חומוס היום?Noam, ata rotze le'echol hummus hayom?Noam, do you want to eat chickpeas today?
- נועם Noamכן, זה נשמע טעים מאוד.ken, ze nishma ta'im me'od.Yes, that sounds very tasty.
- עגור Adiאני אכין סלט עם חומוס.ani achin salat im hummus.I will make a salad with chickpeas.
- נועם Noamמעולה, אני אעזור לך במטבח.me'ule, ani a'azor lach ba-mitbach.Great, I will help you in the kitchen.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry חומוס, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries חומוס, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
