behemoth (English)
Where does "behemoth" come from?
The English word 'behemoth' traces its lineage through Middle English 'behemoth' and Late Latin 'behemoth' to the Hebrew plural 'behemót'[1]. In Hebrew, the term appears in the Book of Job to describe a mighty and powerful creature[1][4]. The Hebrew form is generally understood as an intensive plural of 'behemá' meaning 'beast'[1], though some scholars have proposed an alternate connection to a hypothetical Egyptian source meaning 'the ox of the water'[1][4]. From these biblical origins, the word entered English to denote any great and monstrous beast.
Open questions
- The Hebrew word may alternatively be a borrowing from an unattested Egyptian phrase meaning the ox of the water, though this theory lacks strong evidence. [1] [4]
Full etymology tree
- behemoth (English), 'A great and mighty beast which God shows to Job in Job 40:15–24.'
- inherited behemoth (Middle English)
- borrowed behemoth (Late Latin)
- borrowed בהמות (behemót) (Hebrew), 'behemoth'
- derived בהמה (behemá) (Hebrew), 'beast, animal (usually domesticated), livestock'
- inherited (Proto-Semitic)
- derived בהמה (behemá) (Hebrew), 'beast, animal (usually domesticated), livestock'
- borrowed בהמות (behemót) (Hebrew), 'behemoth'
- borrowed behemoth (Late Latin)
- inherited behemoth (Middle English)
Ancestors
- *pꜣ-jḥ-mw (Egyptian)
Descendants and derived words
- behemothian (English)
- behemothic (English)
Sources
- behemoth (English) - Wiktionary
- pꜣ-jḥ-mw (Egyptian) - Wiktionary
- mw (Egyptian) - Wiktionary
- בהמות (behemót) (Hebrew) - Wiktionary
- בהמה (behemá) (Hebrew) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris