k h n
26 lemmas · 9 languages
soundAll three consonants are regular📜 Gen.14.18
Themes:priest·6position·3priestess·2priesthood·2senior·2
POS shape:noun·20verb·5name·1
This root is attested across 9 Semitic languages in our index. Each section below shows representative lemmas; attested means a Wiktionary editor explicitly tagged the root, inferredmeans we derived it mechanically from the word's consonantal skeleton.
Etymology treehow this root diverged from Proto-Semitic through the family
*k-h-nProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Ugaritic𐎋𐎅𐎐𐎋 𐎅 𐎐— priest
Canaanite
Hebrewכִּהֵןכ ה ן— to hold a senior position
Phoenician𐤊𐤄𐤍𐤊 𐤄 𐤍
Aramaic
Imperial Aramaicכהןכ ה נ— to serve as a priest
Syriacܟܗܢܐܟ ܗ ܢ— priest
Assyrian NAܟܵܗܢܵܐܟ ܗ ܢ— priest
Arabic
Arabicكَهَنَك ه ن— to divine, to foretell, to predicate, to speculate
South Semitic
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezካህንከ ሀ ነ— priest, clergyman
Amharicካህንከ ሀ ነ— priest, pastor, clergyman
Branch structure: Huehnergard (2005), Rubin (2010). The reconstructed Proto-Semitic form is computed on the fly from the cognate set's majority reflex pattern.
Ugaritic
irregular reflexug · 2 lemmas- priestCompare Phoenician 𐤊𐤄𐤍 (khn), Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kōhēn), Aramaic כָּהֲנָא (kāhănā), Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin).
- priestessFeminine of 𐎋𐎅𐎐 (khn). Cognate with Phoenician 𐤊𐤄𐤍𐤕 (khnt).
Phoenician
irregular reflexphn · 2 lemmas- priestess
Imperial Aramaic
arc · 3 lemmas- to serve as a priest
- cohenCompare Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohēn), Ugaritic 𐎋𐎅𐎐 (khn), Phoenician 𐤊𐤄𐤍 (khn), and Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin).
- priesthood
Classical Syriac
syc · 2 lemmas- priestEither borrowed from or cognate with Hebrew כוהן / כֹּהֵן (kōhēn). Compare Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin).
- priesthoodFrom ܟܗܢܐ (kāhnā, “priest”) + -ܘܬܐ (-ūṯā, abstract noun ending).
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
aii · 2 lemmas- priestBorrowed from Classical Syriac [Term?], from Aramaic כָּהֲנָא (kāhănā), itself either borrowed from or cognate with Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohén); compare also in Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin) and Old Armenian քահանայ (kʻahanay).
- Leviticus (the third of the Books of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible; the third book in the Torah)Borrowed from Classical Syriac [Term?], from Aramaic כָּהֲנָא (kāhănā), itself either borrowed from or cognate with Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohén); compare also in Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin) and Old Armenian քահանայ (kʻahanay).
Hebrew
he · 4 lemmas- to hold a senior position
- a senior position or service in such a position
- defective spelling of כוהן
- defective spelling of כיהן
Arabic
ar · 8 lemmas- to divine, to foretell, to predicate, to speculate
- verbal noun of تَكَهَّنَ (takahhana) (form V)
- diviner, soothsayer, prognosticator, fortune-teller, augur, forecasterDerived from the active participle of كَهَنَ (kahana, “to predict the future”), from the root ك ه ن (k h n). Compare Biblical Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kōhḗn), Ugaritic 𐎋𐎅𐎐 (khn), Aramaic כָּהֲנָא (kāhănā) and Phoenician 𐤊𐤄𐤍 (khn), Ge'ez ካህን (kahn), Classical Syriac ܟܗܢܐ.
▸ 2 derivations
- derivedسَجْع الْكُهَّانsajʕ al-kuhhān
- derivedكَهَنُوتkahanūt
- prophetessCognate with Ugaritic 𐎋𐎅𐎐𐎚 (khnt), Phoenician 𐤊𐤄𐤍𐤕 (khnt), Hebrew כוהנת. Morphologically from the root ك ه ن (k h n).
- to divine, to foretell, to predicate, to speculate
- plural of كَاهِن (kāhin)
- plural of كَاهِن (kāhin)
- art of foretellingVerbal noun of كَهُنَ (kahuna).
Ge'ez
gez · 1 lemma- priest, clergymanCognate with Hebrew כהן, Aramaic כהנא, Classical Syriac ܟܗܢܐ, Phoenician 𐤊𐤄𐤍 (khn), Ugaritic 𐎋𐎅𐎐 (khn), Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin).
Amharic
am · 2 lemmas- priest, pastor, clergymanCognate with Hebrew כהן, Aramaic כהנא, Classical Syriac ܟܗܢܐ, Phoenician 𐤊𐤄𐤍 (khn), Ugaritic 𐎋𐎅𐎐 (khn), Arabic كَاهِن (kāhin).
- ordination