Caphs

/kæfs/ noun

Definition

Plural of caph, the eleventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet (also called kaph).

Etymology

From Hebrew kaph, meaning 'palm of the hand,' because the letter's original shape resembled an open palm. The spelling 'caph' reflects older English transliteration conventions of Hebrew letters.

Kelly Says

The Hebrew letter kaph actually shows how ancient alphabets came from pictures—the symbol originally looked like a hand, just like how Egyptian hieroglyphic 'A' came from a drawing of an eagle!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.