התמקחות (Hitmakuach) — bargaining

Etymology

The word hitmakuach (bargaining) and its associated verb l'hitmakeach (to haggle) are modern additions to the Hebrew language, but their foundations lie in the ancient Proto-Semitic root L-Q-H, meaning "to take." This root is found across various Semitic languages, including Akkadian (leqû), Aramaic (leqach), and Arabic (laqiha). In Hebrew, the root is unique because the initial letter Lamed often assimilates into the following letter, leading to forms like yiqach (he will take) instead of yilqach.

From this root, the biblical noun mikach (purchase or taking) emerged, appearing in the Book of Chronicles as part of a warning against "taking bribes" (mikach shochad). By the Talmudic period, the term expanded into legal and commercial phrases such as mikach taut (a purchase made in error) and mikach u-mimkar (buying and selling). Over centuries, pronunciation traditions diverged: while Yemenite Jews preserved the vocalization makach, the Ashkenazi tradition shifted toward mekach.

It was the Ashkenazi pronunciation mekach that eventually became dominant in modern spoken Hebrew. In 1939, the poet and linguist Abraham Shlonsky utilized this noun to back-form a new verb: l'hitmakeach. He first introduced it in the Haaretz newspaper to describe political and social negotiations. Although initially viewed as one of Shlonsky's many creative linguistic innovations, the word gained widespread acceptance in the years following the establishment of the State of Israel.

The Academy of the Hebrew Language eventually recognized the shift in common usage caused by this back-formation. In the year 2000, they officially sanctioned the form mekach alongside the more traditional biblical mikach. Today, hitmakuach is the standard term for bargaining, having successfully transitioned from a literary neologism to an essential part of everyday Hebrew discourse.

Key Quotes

"כִּי אֵין עִם ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַוְלָה וּמַשֹּׂא פָנִים וּמִקַּח שֹׁחַד" — דברי הימים ב׳ י״ט, ז׳

"וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ הַמְבִיאִים אֶת הַמַּקָּחוֹת" — נחמיה י׳, ל״ב

"להתווכח - ול׳התמקח׳." — אברהם שלונסקי, הארץ, 1939

Timeline

• Ancient Era: The Proto-Semitic root L-Q-H (to take) exists in Akkadian and Aramaic.
• Biblical Era: The noun mikach (taking/purchase) appears in the Book of Chronicles.
• Talmudic Era: Terms like mikach u-mimkar (buying and selling) and amad al ha-mikach (negotiating) enter the lexicon.
• 1939: Abraham Shlonsky coins the verb l'hitmakeach in an article for Haaretz.
• Post-1948: The word becomes standard in Israeli media, literature, and dictionaries.
• 2000: The Academy of the Hebrew Language officially approves the vocalization mekach.

Related Words

• מִקָּח (mikach) — purchase or bargain; the biblical noun origin.
• לָקַח (lakach) — to take; the original root verb.
• מִקָּח וּמִמְכָּר (mikach u-mimkar) — commerce; literally "taking and selling."
• מִקַּח טָעוּת (mikach taut) — a bad bargain or an erroneous purchase.