שמן
shémen/ˈʃe.men/
The Hebrew word for oil is שמן (shémen).
שמן refers to liquid fat. For example, the common phrase for olive oil is שמן זית.
Meaning: liquid fat (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the noun שמן is שמנים. There is also a related verb, שימן, which means to lubricate with oil or to grease something with oil for cooking.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced shémen. The stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- In ancient times, olive oil was so central to the culture that the word שמן was often used as a general term for wealth and luxury.
- In the biblical context, the act of pouring שמן on someone's head was a legal and spiritual ritual used to designate kings and priests.
- In Hebrew, the word for 'oil' is the same as the word used to describe someone who is 'fat'.
Examples in context
- שמן צף על מים.Oil floats on water.Tatoeba #5555572 by fekundulo, translation #5270103 by Jesse
- שמן צף על המים.Oil will float on water.Tatoeba #1819916 by MrShoval, translation #324266 by CK
- בלי תותחים אין שמן.No cannons, no oil.Tatoeba #5995008 by fekundulo, translation #2893198 by AlanF_US
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Noam and Noa are cooking dinner together.
- נועם Noamנועה, איפה השמן?Noa, eifo ha-shemen?Noa, where is the oil?
- נועה Noaהשמן נמצא במגירה.Ha-shemen nimtsa ba-megira.The oil is in the drawer.
- נועם Noamתודה, אני צריך שמן לטיגון.Toda, ani tsarikh shemen le-tigan.Thanks, I need oil for frying.
- נועה Noaיש שם שמן זית.Yesh sham shemen zayit.There is olive oil there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry שמן, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
