In this essay, we discuss six different words that mean “wet” in Hebrew: lach, ratuv, ra’anan, rutfash, tofeach, and mefulam. While on the surface, all of these words seem to mean the same thing — which would make them synonyms — we will delve into how these words were used and consider how each of these words has its own unique implications. Along the way, we will encounter some interesting etymological insights which will help us better appreciate the nuances expressed by these discrete terms.

The first term which we will discuss is lach, which refers to something wet as being “moist/liquidy.” It appears three time in the Torah, and four times in the rest of the Bible. This term is first used when relating that Jacob would take the branches of a Libnah tree while they were still “wet” (lach), and peel white strips from them to place before his animals, so that they will give birth to offspring with white spots (Gen. 30:37). In a different context, the Bible (Num. 6:3) forbids a Nazirite from eating grapes, whether they are “wet” (lachim) or “dry.” Finally, when describing Moses’ vigor on the day he died (at the ripe age of 120), the Bible says “his eye had not weakened and his wetness [leicho] had not fled” (Deut. 34:7). The term lach is also used elsewhere in the Bible to refer to flora that had not dried up, but rather retained its moisture/wetness (Jud. 16:8-7, Ezek. 17:24, 21:3, 30:37). The word lach also appears numerous times in the Mishnah (Demai 2:3, Nedarim 7:1, Eduyot 5:4, Menachot 9:2, Bechorot 6:3, Mikvaot 9:2, Niddah 4:3, 7:2).

The etymology of lach is a great case study for the differences between the various opinions about how Hebrew roots work. Menachem Ibn Saruk (920–970), the consummate biliteralist, writes in Machberet Menachem that the root of lach is the biliteral root LAMMED-CHET. This makes sense because the word lach itself is a two-letter word. However, the triliteralists are at a loss as to the etymological root of lach, with Rabbi Yonah Ibn Janach (990–1050) in his Sefer HaShorashim writing that its root is either LAMMED-VAV-CHET or LAMMED-YOD-CHET, while Rabbi David Kimchi (1160–1235) in his Sefer HaShorashim more definitively writes that its root is LAMMED-VAV-CHET (as does Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Parchon in Machberet He’Aruch).

Fascinatingly, Rabbi Moshe Tedeschi Ashkenazi (1821–1898) suggests that lach is actually related to the Hebrew word rach (“soft”), via the interchangeability of REISH and LAMMED, as well as the interchangeability of KAF and CHET.

Another Hebrew word for “wet” is ratuv. In this case, all the classical lexicographer agree that its etymological root is the triliteral REISH-TET-BET. Words derived from that root only appear twice in the entire Bible — both in the Book of Job. In one case, it is said about a fertile plant, “it is wet [ratov] before the sun [comes to dry it out]” (Job 8:16). In the other case, it is said about a victim of theft whose clothing was taken away, “from the flow [of water that descends from the] mountains, he will become wet [because he has no clothes]” (Job 24:8), with the word for “he will become wet” being yirtavu. Besides for appearing twice in the Book of Job, ratuv is also the standard word in the Targumim for rendering the Hebrew lach into Aramaic. And, in fact, Rashi (to Job 8:16, 24:8, Sukkah 10b), Ibn Ezra (to Job 8:16), and Radak (Sefer HaShorashim) define ratuv as lach.

In Mishnaic Hebrew, the word ratuv also means “wet” (Tevol Yom 3:6, see also Uktzin 2:2). But the Mishnah more commonly uses a cognate of ratuv used in the form of the word rotev (“juices, fluids, sauce”). This word appears numerous times in the Mishnah (Pesachim 7:2, Nedarim 7:6, Zevachim 3:4, Chullin 7:5, 9:1, Taharot 1:4, Taharot 3:1) and also appears elsewhere in rabbinic literature.

Rashi (to Job 24:8) and Ibn Ezra (to Job 8:16) note that the Targumim typically translate the Hebrew lach into ratuv.........

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