עזה

Commonly explained as a feminine of עַז (áz, “strong”), but as can be seen from Ancient Greek Γάζα (Gáza) and Arabic غَزَّة (ḡazza), its initial sound was originally Biblical Hebrew *ḡ, from Proto-Semitic *ḡ, so the origin was likely another root. Alternatively compare ج ز ر (j z r) (Hebrew cognate: ג־שׁ־ר), meaning amongst other things words related to “bridge”, a reference to Gaza’s strategic position as the main crossing point on the trade route to Egypt.(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Compare also transliterations of the Bronze Age Canaanite name into Egyptian including

(qꜣḏꜣtj) in Papyrus Anastasi I and

(gꜣḏꜣtw) in the Annals of Thutmosis III,^[1] and Akkadian 𒌷𒄩𒍝𒋾𒆠 (URU ḫa-za-ti^ki /⁠āl ḫazzati⁠/, literally “city of Gaza”) in the Amarna Letters (e.g., EA289 line 17, with variant spellings).^[2]

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)aˈza/, [ˈ(ʔ)a.za]
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /a.zɔ/
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʕaˈza/, [ŋaˈza]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʕæˈzːɔ/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʕaˈzːɔ/
• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ɣɑˈzːɑː/, /ʁɑˈzːɑː/

• Audio:

  (file)

עַזָּה • (áza) f [pattern: קַטְלָה]

1. Gaza
   • Tanach, 1 Kings 5:4, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     כִּי־ה֞וּא רֹדֶ֣ה ׀ בְּכָל־עֵ֣בֶר הַנָּהָ֗ר מִתִּפְסַח֙ וְעַד־עַזָּ֔ה בְּכָל־מַלְכֵ֖י עֵ֣בֶר הַנָּהָ֑ר וְשָׁל֗וֹם הָ֥יָה ל֛וֹ מִכָּל־עֲבָרָ֖יו מִסָּבִֽיב׃

     For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River; and he had peace on all sides round about him.

   • a. 230 C.E., Tosefta. Sotah, section 3.4:

     רבי אומר תחלת קלקלתו היתה בעזה אף עונשו לא היתה אלא בעזה

     Rabbi says: The beginning of his corruption was in Gaza, so his punishment was nowhere else but in Gaza.

   • 2019 April 9, Rami Younis, “כשאתם מצביעים, חשבו על המליונים שתחת מצור בעזה וסגר בגדה [When you vote, think about the milions under siege in Gaza and under curfew in the West Bank]”, in Local Call‎^[1]:

     חשבו על הצלפים המוסריים בעולם שיורים בילדים ונשים שמפגינים בעזה.

     Think about world's most moral snipers who shoot children and women protesting in Gaza.

   • 2023 November 17, duda gang, “מי משוגע? (Who is crazy?)”‎^[2]:

     [צהל בדרך אליכם גופות שלכם נכסה בדגלי ישראל,
     4 איקסים על הנשק נכנסנו לעזה נצא רק שלא ישאר,
     ארצות הברית מאחורינו שמעתם את ביידן אומר לכם להיזהר

     tzahál badérekh eléikhem, gufót shelakhém nekhásé b'digléi yisraél,
     árba íksim al ha-néshék, nikhnásnu l'azá, netzé rak she-lo yishá'ér,
     artzót ha-brit me'akhoreínu, shamá'tem et báiden omér lakhém lehizahér

     The IDF is on its way to you — your corpses will be covered with Israeli flags,
     Four X’s on the weapon, we entered Gaza and will only leave when nothing remains,
     The United States is behind us — you heard Biden tell you to be careful.

• רצועת עזה (r'tsu'át áza, “Gaza Strip”)

• H5804 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

• זעה

Borrowed from Hebrew עזה (áza).

• IPA^(key): /ˈazə/
• Hyphenation: עזה

עזה • (aze) f

1. Gaza (a city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine in the Levant; in full, Gaza City)

   Synonyms: שטאָט עזה (shtot aze), עזה־שטאָט (aze-shtot)

2. Gaza (a governorate of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, around the city)
3. Gaza (ellipsis of the Gaza Strip: a region of Palestine, a north–south strip of land bordering the Mediterranean and the Sinai Peninsula at the southwestern end of the Levant)

   Synonyms: עזה־פּאַס (aze-pas), עזה־לאַנדפּאַס (aze-landpas), עזה־שטרײַף (aze-shtrayf)

• Justus van de Kamp et al., “עזה” in Jiddisch-Nederlands Woordenboek [Yiddish-Dutch Dictionary], Amsterdam: Stichting Jiddische Lexicografie, 1987-present (ongoing). [3].