Rabbinic Hebrew kyd ~ ʿkyd: Insights from Palestinian Arabic

This study explores the meaning, etymology, and textual variants of the term כיד kyd ‘press weight-stone’ in Rabbinic Hebrew, as preserved in Mishnaic and Talmudic manuscripts. The study highlights its correlation with the Palestinian Arabic term lakkīd, denoting a screw weight-stone used in olive presses, and its implications for reconstructing the original meaning and form of the Hebrew term. Through detailed analysis of manuscript corrections, scribal practices, and linguistic processes like back-formation and alternations of consonants, the study reconstructs the plural form הכידים h-kydym as the most likely original version. Comparative evidence from archaeological findings, Rabbinic traditions, and Palestinian Arabic supports the identification of the term as a reference to weight-stones in traditional oil presses. The article explores broader linguistic phenomena, such as alternations between ʾalef and ʿayin, offering insights into Rabbinic Hebrew’s interaction with regional Semitic dialects.