בלשן

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Most likely from Akkadian 𒂗𒋗𒉡 (bēlšunu, literally “their lord/master/owner”), from 𒂗 (bēlum, “lord, master, owner”), cognate to בַּעַל (bá'al, “master, owner”).

Proper noun

בִּלְשָׁן • (bilshán) m

Bilshan

Etymology 2

From a Midrashic interpretation of מָרְדֳּכַי בִּלְשָׁן (mordokhái bilshán, “Mordecai [and] Bilshan”), from Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7, as referring to one person, with בִּלְשָׁן (bilshán) meaning “one who knows many languages” and coming from לָשׁוֹן (lashón, “language”), because Mordecai is said to have known seventy languages. The first vowel was changed to match the noun pattern קַטְלָן forming names of professions.

Noun

בַּלְשָׁן • (balshán) m (feminine counterpart בַּלְשָׁנִית) [pattern: קַטְלָן]

linguist

Declension

Declension of **בַּלְשָׁן**
	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
Number:	State:	form	Person:	m	f	m	f
singular	indefinite	בַּלְשָׁן	first	בַּלְשָׁנִי		בַּלְשָׁנֵנוּ
	definite	הַבַּלְשָׁן	second	בַּלְשָׁנְךָ	בַּלְשָׁנֵךְ	בַּלְשַׁנְכֶם	בַּלְשַׁנְכֶן
	construct	בַּלְשַׁן־	third	בַּלְשָׁנוֹ	בַּלְשָׁנָהּ	בַּלְשָׁנָם	בַּלְשָׁנָן
plural	indefinite	בַּלְשָׁנִים	first	בלשניי / בַּלְשָׁנַי		בַּלְשָׁנֵינוּ
	definite	הַבַּלְשָׁנִים	second	בַּלְשָׁנֶיךָ	בלשנייך / בַּלְשָׁנַיִךְ	בַּלְשָׁנֵיכֶם	בַּלְשָׁנֵיכֶן
	construct	בַּלְשָׁנֵי־	third	בַּלְשָׁנָיו	בַּלְשָׁנֶיהָ	בַּלְשָׁנֵיהֶם	בַּלְשָׁנֵיהֶן

Derived terms

בַּלְשָׁנוּת (balshanút)

References

H1114 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
"בלשן" in the Noun Declension Tables of the Academy of Hebrew Language