Zayin

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈzɑːjɪn/

Definitions

1. A character from the Hebrew script symbolizing the numeral seven
2. An emblem in Jewish mystical traditions often representing divine safeguarding
3. A letter from the Hebrew alphabet representing the number seven ; a mystical symbol within Jewish traditions symbolizing spiritual defense

Etymology: Zayin is the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and its name is the Hebrew word for "weapon" or "sword," a meaning the letter's ancient pictographic shape is often thought to reflect. Hebrew letters were once used as numerals, so zayin also stands for seven, and the same letter-number pairing runs through the whole alphabet, with aleph as one, bet as two, and so on. English borrowed the term directly from Hebrew, so the word keeps its Hebrew form rather than passing through Latin or Greek. Its use in English is confined to discussions of the alphabet and its numerical values, such as in Hebrew grammar, the study of scripts, and the numbering of Hebrew sections in religious and scholarly texts.