פְּחֶתֶת
𐤐𐤇𐤕𐤕
pᵉchetheth
H6356 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Damage or decay in woven material, especially garments, characterized by the formation of a hole or eaten spot caused by mildew, mold, or rot. The term refers specifically to the outcome of a destructive process rather than the cause itself.
Semantic Range
hole (specifically in garments), eaten spot (by mildew/rot), lesion in cloth, visible decay in fabric
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root פּחת (p-ḥ-t), which carries the sense of 'to sink in, subside, be hollowed, become depressed.' פְּחֶתֶת is a feminine noun form signifying the result of sinking in or being eaten away, here applied to fabric, indicating a physical hole or spot where the garment has been damaged by decay.
Historical & Contextual Notes
פְּחֶתֶת appears only in Levitical legislation regarding ritual impurity from garments (Leviticus 13:55-57) and denotes not any general hole but specifically one caused by plague-like mildew or rot (נֶגַע צָרַעַת). The context concerns priestly examination of clothing infected with 'leprosy'-like afflictions. English translations sometimes render it as 'fret' or 'decay,' but neither term captures the specifically visible physical damage understood in biblical ritual law. The word is rare and technical, with usage limited to discussions of ceremonial purity and not found in reference to decay in other materials or settings. By the post-exilic period, the ritual framework for such impurities changed, and the term does not appear in post-biblical Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as פַּחַת; a hole (by mildew in a garment); fret inward.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פחת (p-ḥ-t) — to sink, to cave in, to subside, to become hollow
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6354 | פַּחַת | dug-out pit of |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6356-01 |
פְּחֶ֣תֶת | pechetet | HNcfsa |
fret | sunken fabric-hole | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6356-01 |
Leviticus 13:55 | פְּחֶ֣תֶת | pechetet | HNcfsa |
fret | sunken fabric-hole |