תַּחְפֹּשֶׂת (Tachposet) — costume

Etymology

While the custom of dressing up for Purim has roots in 14th-century Italy and later in 19th-century Vienna, the specific term tachposet is a relatively modern addition to the Hebrew language. For decades, even as masquerade balls became popular in Jewish centers like Vienna, London, and Tel Aviv, Hebrew speakers relied on words like masecha (mask) or tilboshet (outfit) to describe their holiday attire. The verb form, l'hitkhapesh (to disguise oneself), is ancient and appears in the Bible when King Saul disguises himself to visit the Witch of Endor, but the noun form remained uncoined for millennia.

The word tachposet first appeared in print in 1927 in a German-Hebrew dictionary compiled by linguists Naphtali Herz Tur-Sinai and Shmuel Meir Lazar. It was created to provide a precise Hebrew equivalent for the German Verkleidung (disguise). Despite initial mockery from some linguists who labeled it an "excessive innovation," the word gained practical use during World War II in the context of military camouflage and secret operations. By the establishment of the State of Israel, it had transitioned into the domestic sphere, becoming the standard term for Purim costumes and largely displacing earlier European loanwords.

Key Quotes

"וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ שָׁאוּל וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים" — שמואל א׳ כ״ח, ח׳

"ואחרי המחולות החלה תהלוכת נוסכי מסכה, סמלי תמונות מתקופות שונות בקורות ארצנו" — ז., הצפירה, 1900

"פלצות אחזתנו על השערוריה הנוראה... יזמו להכין לקראת יום הפורים... 'נשף סתר פנים' (מאסקען-באלל)" — החרות, 1913

Timeline

• Ancient Era: The verb hitkhapesh is used in the Book of Samuel to describe King Saul's disguise.
• 1900: Hebrew writers in Vienna organize the first modern Purim masquerade ball, described then as a "procession of mask-wearers."
• 1913: The Maccabi association holds a "Mask Ball" in Jerusalem, drawing fierce condemnation from the local Haredi community.
• 1927: The noun tachposet is published for the first time in Tur-Sinai and Lazar's dictionary.
• 1930: Lexicographer Yehuda Gur adds the word to his dictionary's supplement, despite criticism from other linguists.
• 1948: Following the establishment of Israel, the word becomes the ubiquitous term for Purim costumes.

Related Words

• מַסֵּכָה (masecha) — mask; the primary term used for Purim disguises before tachposet.
• הִתְחַפְּשׂוּת (hitkhapshut) — the act of disguising; a gerund often used for military or formal contexts.
• תִּלְבֹּשֶׁת (tilboshet) — outfit or uniform; used in early 20th-century reports to describe costumes.