פֶּרֶשׁ

The word "פֶּרֶשׁ" (peresh) is one of the ancient Hebrew words for describing excrement, especially the stomach contents of animals. The word appears in the Bible several times, for example in the Book of Leviticus in the context of sacrifices: "But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire outside the camp" (Exodus 29:14). The word also appears in the Book of Malachi in the context of a curse or threat: "And I will spread dung upon your faces" (2:3). The word has parallels in other Semitic languages - in Akkadian "paršu" and in Aramaic "partā," both with a similar meaning. In Arabic, the parallel root p-r-th indicates the stomach contents of a cow, similar to the use of the word in the context of sacrifices in the Torah. In the rabbinic period and during the Middle Ages, the word "peresh" continued to be used in rabbinic literature, and from there it passed to the Hebrew of the Haskalah period and to modern Hebrew, although in less common use than "tzo'ah" or "glalim."