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Jan 29, 2012

how to say "irritating" in Hebrew


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מֵעִיק








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I like to publish entries on words and phrases that have a positive or neutral bent. Nevertheless, sometimes we need to express ourselves with terms that are less than pretty.


The Hebrew word מֵעִיק (meh-EEK) is one of those terms. Sometimes we just need to call a spade a spade and label an event, a song, or a person's actions as irritating or bothersome - מעיק. The feminine form of this term is מֵעִיקָה (meh-ee-KAH).


מעיק comes from the Biblical Hebrew word still used today, מוּעָקָה (moo-ah-KAH) - distress. The root of these words is ע.ו.ק (a.w.k). 


מעיק is an adjective deriving from the active-causative הפעיל verb, לְהָעִיק (leh-hah-EEK) - to irritate (emotionally, not physically).


To say irritated, you'd use a different word - עַצְבָּנִי (ats-bah-NEE), which also means nervous and anxious.





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