ברד BARAD, פרד PARAD

[Isaac Fried]

A couple of days ago we had here a good and noisy hail storm. A neighbor of mine, who fondly remembers his Biblical Hebrew of his school days, asked me what it is called in Hebrew and I reminded him that it is the ברד BARAD of Ex. 9:18 and Isaiah 30:30, related to פרד PARAD, 'separate', a cue which will help him never to forget it.
He already knows the the water beads left on his front lawn by the sprinkler is called רביבים RBIYBIYM, a slight mutation of רבבוֹת RBABOT, 'a great number'. He likes this ruse of changing gender for a shift in meaning, and the gaining of a new word.

We also recall the ברוּדים BRUDIYM = BR-HU-D-HEM, 'speckled, spotted' of Gen. 31:10.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Having mentioned the root פרד PRD, 'separate', we recall the פְּרוּדָה PRUDAH, 'grain', of Joel 1:17.
The names פֶּרֶד PERED and פִּרְדָּה PIRDAH, 'mule', have their ancient origin possibly in the roaming herds of wild horses.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Having mentioned ברד BRD and פרד PRD, we add their close relative פרט PRT, of which we have the פֶּרֶט, 'individual, single, separate', of Lev. 19:10
וּפֶרֶט כַּרְמְךָ לֹא תְלַקֵּט לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם
KJV: "neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger."

In post-biblical Hebrew פְּרוּטָה is 'small coin, penny', פְּרָטִי is 'private, personal', and פְּרָטִים is 'details'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University