Dentist Asks: What Does the Word 'Chikh' Mean?
Have you noticed that you can’t say the word 'teeth' without using your teeth?
- דניאל בלס
- פורסם ה' אב התשע"ה

#VALUE!
Following Rabbi Zamir's lectures on the holy tongue and the origin of words like 'tooth' and 'tongue dough' (I was captivated. I am a dentist), what is the origin of the word 'chikh'??Thank you.
* * *
Hello and blessings,
Indeed, a fascinating lecture. Rabbi Tzvi Inbal also extensively dealt with the holy tongue, presenting many examples of the complexity of the Hebrew language.
And another article on the subject: : https://www.hidabroot.org/he/article/1836
Regarding your question,
It is often difficult to find the historical tradition behind many words in the Hebrew language, so it is often up to us to trace their logical meaning.
There is no doubt that the word "chikh" is intended to be used with our palate, because the fact is, you cannot pronounce the word 'chikh' without using the palate. Just as you cannot articulate the word 'teeth' without using your teeth, the word 'lips' without using lips, and just as you cannot articulate the word 'tongue' without ticking with your tongue inside your mouth. This fact alone proves to us that words are planned, articulated intentionally, and are not just an 'agreed language'.
In my humble opinion, the word 'chikh' was meant to indicate an inner part ("chikho"), and may be a root for other words that describe interiority.
Additionally, we can see that the two letters that make up the word 'chikh' use the palate, namely the letters 'ch' and 'kh'. It is possible that these two letters were chosen to indicate their vocal root: that is, to tell us that the palate is the source for all letters that make use of the letters "ch" and "kh".
With blessings,
Daniel Beless