שִׁדְרוּג (Shidrug) — upgrade
Etymology
The word shidrug is a hallmark of the unique evolution of the shif'el (שִׁפְעֵל) verb pattern in Modern Hebrew. Historically, shif'el was an Aramaic causative form, analogous to the Hebrew hif'il. While a few ancient loanwords like shichlul (perfecting) and shichrur (releasing) existed, the pattern was largely dormant until the late 19th century, when scholars like Joseph Klausner suggested reviving it to expand the Hebrew vocabulary.
By the mid-20th century, Hebrew speakers—many of whom were native speakers of European languages—felt a pressing need for a Hebrew equivalent to the "re-" prefix (meaning "again" or "anew"). A series of innovations began to cement this meaning: shichluf (rearrangement, 1939), shikum (rehabilitation/reconstruction, 1944), and shichzur (restoration, 1944). These words established a linguistic "feel" that the Shin prefix indicated a repeated or improved action.
In 1961, Ze'ev Sherf, then a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Finance, proposed shidrug to replace the clunky hybrid loanwords re-derog and re-tashbutz during a government administrative reform. Although the Academy for the Hebrew Language officially rejected the proposal in 1962—arguing that the shif'el pattern does not inherently denote repetition—the public and the media embraced it immediately. Over time, the Academy itself followed the public's lead, utilizing the pattern for numerous official terms denoting "re-doing," such as shitchul (restart) and shirchuv (reassembly).
Key Quotes
"בניין ׳שפעל׳... אינו מביע בשום פנים את החזרה וההישנות ולא את מה שמביע re הלאטיני והאנגלי. בניין שפעל אינו אלא צורה אחרת של בניין הפעיל." — Meir Medan (Scientific Secretary of the Academy), 1961
"תמהתי לכותרת משונה שהופיעה ב׳דבר׳ בשם רה-דירוג. הכוונה הייתה לדירוג-מחדש. הרי ניתן, לדעתי, להשתמש בצורה של שפעל ולומר שדרוג." — A.T. (Letter to the Editor, Davar), 1962
"מניין לו, שמשקל שפעל מציין ׳פעולה מחדש׳? מה היא משמעותם של הפעלים: שעבד, שכנע, שכלל, שכפל? כלום יש בהם משום המושג של חידוש?" — Yitzchak Peretz, 1962
Timeline
- 1896: Joseph Klausner proposes using the shif'el pattern for new Hebrew words in Ha-Tzvi.
- 1939: The term shichluf (rearrangement) is coined for chemistry terms.
- 1944: shikum (rehabilitation/reconstruction) is introduced to describe the post-WWII rebuilding of Europe.
- 1949: shichpel (duplicate/copy) is coined by Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett.
- 1961: Ze'ev Sherf proposes shidrug to the Academy to replace "re-grading."
- 1962: The Academy rejects shidrug in favor of derug me-hadash, but the word gains popular traction.
Related Words
- שִׁכְתֵּב (shichtev) — to rewrite
- שִׁחְזוּר (shichzur) — restoration/reconstruction
- שִׁכְפֵּל (shichpel) — to duplicate
- דֵּרוּג (derug) — grading/rating
- שִׁקּוּם (shikum) — rehabilitation