פִּטְמָה (Pitma) — nipple

Etymology

The word pitma (פִּטְמָה) is absent from Biblical Hebrew, where the nipple was likely referred to by terms like dad (דַּד) or ziz (זִיז), both meaning a protrusion or the breast itself. The root פט״ם is of Aramaic origin, where it carries the meaning of "fattening" or "thickening" (seen in the Hebrew verb pittem, to fatten livestock). In Mishnaic Hebrew, the term was adopted to describe the thickened tips or protrusions of various fruits and vegetables, such as the crown of a pomegranate or the tip of an etrog.

The shift from botanical to anatomical usage began in the Mishnah during a discussion on the physical signs of female maturity. The sage Ben Azzai used the term pitomet (פִּטוֹמֶת) to describe a physical change, likely drawing a metaphor from the ripening of fruits like figs. By the Geonic period (late 10th century), commentators explicitly defined pitma as "the head of the breast." This definition was later codified in the 12th century by Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome in his influential Talmudic dictionary, the Arukh.

In the modern era, writers of the Hebrew Enlightenment (Haskalah) sought a precise term to replace the Yiddish tsitsen. Rabbi Pinhas Elijah Hurwitz was likely the first to use the phrase "pitmat ha-dad" (nipple of the breast) in his 1797 work Sefer Ha-Berit. Throughout the 19th century, this term appeared in various popular medical texts. In 1862, Mendele Mocher Sforim simplified the term to petima in his natural history book Toldot Ha-Teva. As Hebrew speech was revived in the Land of Israel, several pronunciations competed until the current form, pitma, became the standard.

Key Quotes

"משישחיר הפטומת" — בן עזאי, משנה נידה ה׳, ח׳

"פיטמה - ראשו של דד" — פירוש הגאונים לסדר טהרות, סוף המאה ה-10

"פירוש ראש הדד וחודו" — נתן מרומי (ספר הערוך), המאה ה-12

Timeline

• Mishnaic Period: The term refers to botanical protrusions (etrog, pomegranate, onion).
• 10th Century: Geonic commentators link the term to human anatomy.
• 12th Century: The Arukh provides a clear anatomical definition of the term.
• 1797: Rabbi Pinhas Elijah Hurwitz uses "pitmat ha-dad" in Sefer Ha-Berit.
• 1840s-1880s: Medical textbooks popularize the term for anatomical use.
• 1862: Mendele Mocher Sforim introduces the shortened form petima.
• Early 20th Century: The pronunciation pitma stabilizes in Modern Hebrew.

Related Words

• דד (dad) — breast or teat (Biblical)
• פִּטָּם (pitam) — the botanical tip of a fruit, specifically the etrog
• פִּטֵּם (pittem) — to fatten (livestock) or to compound (incense)
• עוֹקֶץ (oketz) — stem or sting; used by Rabbi Yose as a synonym for the nipple