What does gimel mean?
Gimel is an uncommon English noun with two established uses. Its principal meaning is the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, conventionally written gimel and sometimes gimmel. In modern Hebrew the letter is pronounced like g, although English speakers generally retain the fuller name when discussing alphabets, letter names, typography, or Hebrew texts. Gimel also names a traditional Jewish unit of liquid capacity equal to one eighteenth of a log, a specialized sense encountered in historical and religious contexts. Because the word is mostly encountered in discussions of Hebrew, Judaism, or language, it has a learned register rather than the familiarity of terms such as aleph or bet among some Hebrew scholars. Even so, it remains a memorable example of how a single name can refer both to a letter of an alphabet and to an old measure.
nounThe third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, conventionally transliterated as gimel or gimmel and pronounced like g in modern Hebrew. The word also denotes a traditional Jewish unit of liquid capacity equal to one eighteenth of a log.
- The third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, conventionally transliterated as gimel or gimmel and representing the consonant /g/ in modern Hebrew.
- A traditional Jewish unit of liquid capacity equal to one eighteenth of a log.
"The gimel is the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, though its name is rarely pronounced in ordinary speech."
"The gimel occupies the third position in the Hebrew alphabet."
"The ledger records the quantity as two gimels of oil."
The plural is used when referring to multiple instances of the letter or multiple quantities of the unit.
"The two gimels appear at the beginning of the inscription."
Gimel hides a small surprise: modern Hebrew simply pronounces this third letter like “g.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gimel come from?
The English noun comes from Hebrew גימל (gímel), the name of the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is also spelled gimmel in English, following another conventional transliteration. The same Hebrew term was borrowed for a traditional unit of liquid capacity equal to one eighteenth of a log.
How gimel is actually used
This is a specialized term found chiefly in Hebrew studies, Jewish historical texts, discussions of alphabets, and typography. It is uncommon in general English and has a learned, technical register.
Easily confused with gimel
Gimmel is an alternative English spelling and transliteration of the same Hebrew letter, not a different character.