B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

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

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