מאזניים

Hebrew

Root
א־ז־ן (ʾ-z-n)
7 terms

Etymology

The word has equivalents in several Semitic languages. It seems to be a dual form of the singular *מוֹזֵן, derived from the root *ו־ז־ן whose ancient meaning was weighing, compare Arabic وَزَنَ (wazana, “to weigh”). If so, the expected spelling of the word would be *מוֹזְנַיִם. The current spelling is probably the result of a late allusion (in spelling only) to the word אׇזְנַיִם (oznáyim, “ears”), although there is no etymological connection between the words. This analogy stemmed from a folk etymology that linked the two words due to their phonetic similarity. Its influence was so strong that, already in the language of the Bible, it derived the secondary root א־ז־ן (which appears in the Bible in אִזֵּן), where the unetymological aleph does not have any "right to exist" historically.

Noun

מאזניים / מֹאזְנַיִם • (moz'náyim) m du

balance, scales

Declension

Declension of **מאזניים / מֹאזְנַיִם**
	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
Number:	State:	form	Person:	m	f	m	f
plural	indefinite	מאזניים / מֹאזְנַיִם	first	מאזניי / מֹאזְנַי		מֹאזְנֵינוּ
	definite	המאזניים / הַמֹּאזְנַיִם	second	מֹאזְנֶיךָ	מאזנייך / מֹאזְנַיִךְ	מֹאזְנֵיכֶם	מֹאזְנֵיכֶן
	construct	מֹאזְנֵי־	third	מֹאזְנָיו	מֹאזְנֶיהָ	מֹאזְנֵיהֶם	מֹאזְנֵיהֶן

Proper noun