מלאך

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ל־א־ך (l-ʾ-k)
2 terms

From a verb meaning “to send” which is only attested in Ugaritic 𐎍𐎛𐎋 (lỉk), 𐎍𐎀𐎋 (lảk), Arabic لَأَكَ (laʔaka), أَلْأَكَ (ʔalʔaka), Ge'ez ለአከ (läʾäkä). The only other word from this root in Hebrew is מְלָאכָה (məlāḵā́, “commission, sending → particular occupation, work, business”).

Pronunciation

(Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /malˈ(ʔ)aχ/
Homophones: מַלָּח, מָלַךְ (sometimes)
Audio (Modern Israeli Hebrew): (file)

Noun

מַלְאָךְ • (mal'ákh) m (plural indefinite מַלְאָכִים, singular construct מַלְאַךְ־, plural construct מַלְאֲכֵי־) [pattern: מַקְטָל]

angel
(archaic) messenger

Declension

Declension of **מַלְאָךְ**
	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
Number:	State:	form	Person:	m	f	m	f
singular	indefinite	מַלְאָךְ	first	מַלְאָכִי		מַלְאָכֵנוּ
	definite	הַמַּלְאָךְ	second	מַלְאָכְךָ	מַלְאָכֵךְ	מַלְאַכְכֶם	מַלְאַכְכֶן
	construct	מַלְאַךְ־	third	מַלְאָכוֹ	מַלְאָכָהּ	מַלְאָכָם	מַלְאָכָן
plural	indefinite	מַלְאָכִים	first	מלאכיי / מַלְאָכַי		מַלְאָכֵינוּ
	definite	הַמַּלְאָכִים	second	מַלְאָכֶיךָ	מלאכייך / מַלְאָכַיִךְ	מַלְאֲכֵיכֶם	מַלְאֲכֵיכֶן
	construct	מַלְאֲכֵי־	third	מַלְאָכָיו	מַלְאָכֶיהָ	מַלְאֲכֵיהֶם	מַלְאֲכֵיהֶן

Derived terms

מַלְאָכוּת (malʾāḵūṯ, “messengership”)
מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת (malʾāḵ ham-máveṯ, “Angel of Death”)
מַלְאַך־חַבָּלָה (malʾāḵ ḥabbaláh)
מַלְאֲכֵי־הַשָּׁרֵת (malʾáḵēy haš-šarēṯ)
רַב־מַלְאָךְ (raḇ-malʾāḵ, “archangel”)

Descendants

Yiddish: מלאך (malekh)
→ Ancient Greek: ἄγγελος (ángelos, “angel”) (semantic loan) (see there for further descendants)
→ Kermanic: (learned)
Isfahani: malāx
→ Tat: малах (learned)