גָּלָל

The word "גָּלָל" (galal, in singular form) or "גְּלָלִים" (glalim, in plural form) is one of the ancient Hebrew words for describing excrement, especially of animals. The word is derived from the root g-l-l, which is also related to the word "גַּל" (gal) meaning pile or heap. The conception of excrement as a "heap" is common to Hebrew and Arabic, where the word "גַּלַּה" (gallah) is also used to describe droppings. In the Bible, the word appears several times, for example in the Book of Ezekiel (4:12-15) when the prophet is asked to prepare bread on coals of "human dung," and after he expresses opposition, God allows him to use "cow dung" instead. The expression "צְפִיעֵי הַבָּקָר" (tzfi'ei habakar, "cow dung") testifies to the existence of a complex system of euphemisms and synonyms for describing excrement already in the biblical period. In the rabbinic period and during the Middle Ages, the word "glalim" continued to be used in rabbinic literature, and from there it passed to the Hebrew of the Haskalah period and to modern Hebrew. Today, the word "glalim" is still the most accepted and cleanest word for describing animal excrement, especially in formal or educational contexts.