כוס

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
כ־ו־ס (k-w-s)

From Proto-Semitic *kaʔs- (“cup”).

Noun

כּוֹס • (kos) f or m (plural indefinite כּוֹסוֹת, singular construct כּוֹס־, plural construct כּוֹסוֹת־)

1. cup
2. (countable) glass

Usage notes

• Like other words that start with ב,‎ ג,‎ ד,‎ כ,‎ פ,‎ or ת, this term's initial letter takes a dagesh lene. In older texts, that dagesh is usually dropped when the word is preceded, in the same phrase, by a word ending in a mater lectionis; in modern texts, the dagesh is usually preserved even in such a case. Likewise, in older texts, the dagesh is always dropped when the word is prefixed by an indefinite ב־‏,‎ כ־‏,‎ or ל־‏, or by ו־‏; in modern speech, the dagesh is often preserved in such a case. (After the definite ב־‏,‎ כ־‏,‎ and ל־‏, and after the prefixes ה־‏,‎ מ־‏,‎ and ש־‏, there is a dagesh forte, as described in the usage notes for those prefixes.)
• This noun is feminine in the Bible, but is masculine in the Mishnah and in later writings, even to modern times. When Hebrew was revived as a spoken language, though, the word reverted to feminine, as in the Bible.

Declension

Declension of כּוֹס

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	כּוֹס	first	כּוֹסִי		כּוֹסֵנוּ
	definite	הַכּוֹס	second	כּוֹסְךָ	כּוֹסֵךְ	כּוֹסְכֶם	כּוֹסְכֶן
	construct	כּוֹס־	third	כּוֹסוֹ	כּוֹסָהּ	כּוֹסָם	כּוֹסָן
plural	indefinite	כּוֹסוֹת	first	כוסותיי / כּוֹסוֹתַי		כּוֹסוֹתֵינוּ
	definite	הַכּוֹסוֹת	second	כּוֹסוֹתֶיךָ	כוסותייך / כּוֹסוֹתַיִךְ	כּוֹסוֹתֵיכֶם	כּוֹסוֹתֵיכֶן
	construct	כּוֹסוֹת־	third	כּוֹסוֹתָיו	כּוֹסוֹתֶיהָ	כּוֹסוֹתָם	כּוֹסוֹתָן

Derived terms

• בשלושה דברים אדם ניכר: בכוסו, בכיסו, ובכעסו (bishloshá d'varím adám nikár: b'khosó, b'khisó, uv'kha`asó)
• כּוֹסִית (kosít)

See also

• גביע (gavía')
• ספל (séfel)

Etymology 2

Root
כ־ו־ס (k-w-s)

From Proto-Semitic *kôs (“owl”), which has been cited as a possible source for the name of the Greek island Κῶς (Kôs).

Noun

כּוֹס • (kos) m

1. little owl (a species of small European owl, Athene noctua)

Etymology 3

From Arabic كُس (kus), from Persian کس (kos, “cunt”).

Noun

כּוּס • (kus) m

1. (vulgar slang) A pussy (vagina).

Derived terms

• כּוּסִית (kúsit)

References

• H3563 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• “כוס” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• כוס on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he