beth

beth — noun

1. the name of the second character in the Hebrew writing system, usually shown as

1.nounC2
Definition

the name of the second character in the Hebrew writing system, usually shown as ב.

Example

Ms. Levin pointed to beth on the classroom chart after aleph.

beth after aleph in the Hebrew alphabet

On the old stone gate, the carved beth was easy to spot.

Common collocations
  • the letter beth
  • Hebrew beth
  • beth and gimel
  • aleph and beth
Synonyms
  • bet

    a common modern transliteration of the same Hebrew letter name

  • beit

    another transliteration used in some language-study contexts

Grammar Patterns

the letter beth

beth and + letter name

Usage Note

Mostly used in discussions of the Hebrew alphabet, Bible study, or old writing. Writers often show it with the character ב, and many modern sources also spell it 'bet'.

Common Mistakes

Beth is the second letter of the Greek alphabet.
Beth is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
the Greek second letter is beta, not beth.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words are all names of letters, but they belong to different systems or positions. 'Beth' is the traditional English name for the second Hebrew letter. 'Aleph' is the first Hebrew letter, so learners often meet 'aleph and beth' together when starting Hebrew. 'Gimel' is the next one after beth, so it is useful when discussing letter order. 'Beta' is not Hebrew at all; it is the second letter of Greek, though it comes from the same older alphabet family. Use 'beth' when you mean the Hebrew sign ב, not a Greek letter. For example, 'The child traced beth on the worksheet,' but 'The maths teacher wrote beta beside the angle.'

alephbeth ↗gimelbeta ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the letter beth
  • Hebrew beth
  • beth symbol

Phrases

  • aleph and beth
  • beth and gimel

Etymology

HebrewEnglish

English took 'beth' from Hebrew as the traditional name of the second Hebrew letter. The Hebrew name is connected to an older Semitic word meaning 'house', because very early letter signs were picture-like and this one is thought to have started as a simple house shape.