עד
ad/(ʔ)ad/
The English word 'witness' is עד (ad) in Hebrew.
The term עד refers to a person who has personal knowledge of an event or occurrence. In Hebrew, when you want to state that someone is a witness to a specific event, the noun עד is typically followed by the preposition ל– (to/for). For example, you would say עד ל- to indicate what was witnessed.
Meaning: one who has a personal knowledge of something (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine singular form is עדה, and the masculine plural form is עדים. It is important to distinguish between the person and the evidence: while עד refers to the person (the witness), the word עדות refers to the testimony or evidence provided by that person.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced as /ad/.
Did you know?
- The word עד is a homonym that also means 'until' or 'forever' depending on the context. A sentence containing only עד could mean 'a witness' or 'until', requiring the listener to rely entirely on the surrounding words to understand the meaning.
- The word עדות (testimony) is used in the Hebrew Bible to refer not just to a person's statement, but to the physical Tabernacle itself. It was called the משכן העדות, meaning the 'Tent of Testimony', as it served as a permanent witness to the covenant.
- The root of עד is shared with words meaning 'eternity' and 'endlessness', suggesting that a witness provides a permanent record.
Examples in context
- אתה עד לא אמין.You're an unreliable witness.This sentence is useful for describing the reliability of the form עד.Tatoeba #5947636 by fekundulo, translation #3727559 by CM
- עד אחד היה נוכח.One witness was present.This sentence is useful for stating the presence of the form עד.Tatoeba #5793785 by fekundulo, translation #3168184 by CK
- תום היה עד לתאונה.Tom was a witness to the accident.This sentence is useful for showing how to use the form עד in relation to an event.Tatoeba #1899119 by fekundulo, translation #37255 by CK
- הָיִיתִי עֵד לתאונהI was a witness to the accident.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a legal matter.
- דניאל Danielהאם יש עד למקרה הזה?Ha'im yesh ad la'mikre ha'ze?Is there a witness to this case?
- רוטם Rotemכן, השכנה שלי היא עד.Ken, ha'shchena sheli hi ad.Yes, my neighbor is a witness.
- דניאל Danielהאם היא ראתה הכל?Ha'im hi ra'ata hakol?Did she see everything?
- רוטם Rotemהיא עד לכל מה שקרה.Hi ad le'kol ma she'kara.She is a witness to everything that happened.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry עד, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
