תַּעֲרִיף (Ta'arif) — tariff, rate, price list
Etymology
The Hebrew Ta'arif and the English Tariff share a common ancestor, though their specific modern meanings differ slightly. In Hebrew, a ta'arif refers generally to a price or rate for a product or service, whereas in English, it specifically denotes a tax or duty imposed by a government on imports or exports. Both words originate from the Arabic root '-r-f (ע-ר-פ), which primarily means "to know" or "to recognize"—a root familiar to many Hebrew speakers via the Arabic slang phrase "Ana Arif?" (Do I know?).
The specific Arabic noun ta'rifa (notification or specification) began to be used at the start of the second millennium to describe a table or list specifying the customs rates to be paid for various goods. This concept and its name were adopted into Turkish, Spanish, and Italian during the 14th and 15th centuries. From there, it spread throughout European languages, evolving from "customs list" to "customs duty" and eventually to general price tables.
In 1892, Ze'ev Yavetz, a key figure in the Hebrew revival, sought an equivalent for the European "tariff." Writing in his journal MiYerushalayim, he noted that since the word was originally of Semitic ("Sons of Shem") origin, it was only natural to bring it back into Hebrew as Ta'arif. The word was subsequently adopted by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who used it in his newspapers to mean "customs rate," helping it gain widespread traction.
During the British Mandate in the 1930s, the word's meaning expanded further. It began to describe the regulated rates for government-provided services such as transportation, communication, and electricity. This usage persisted even after the establishment of the State of Israel and the eventual privatization of many of these sectors, cementing ta'arif as the standard term for service rates and pricing structures.
Key Quotes
"טאריף הוא שם בכל לשונות אירופא לרשימת סכומי המכס לכל סחורה למינה, ומילה זאת לקוחה מלשונות בני שם" — זאב יעבץ, מירושלים, 1892
"אין 'יערף' אלא לשון כנעני. משל אין אדם אומר לחבירו. פרוט לי סלע זו אלא ערוף לי סלע זו" — ספרי, האזינו (מדרש ארצישראלי קדום)
"אַף שָׁמָיו יַעַרְפוּ טָל" — דברים ל״ג, כ״ח
Timeline
- 11th-12th Century: Arabic ta'rifa (specification) is used for customs tables.
- 14th-15th Century: The term enters Spanish and Italian, later spreading throughout Europe.
- 1892: Ze'ev Yavetz coins the Hebrew Ta'arif as a return of the "Semitic" word.
- 1900s: Eliezer Ben-Yehuda popularizes the term in Hebrew journalism.
- 1930s: The meaning expands to cover service rates (electricity, bus fares) during the British Mandate.
Related Words
- מְחִיר (Mechir) — Price (Akkadian origin)
- שַׁעַר (Sha'ar) — Rate/Price (Talmudic usage, now mostly for stocks/currency)
- דָּמִים (Damim) — Fees/Cost (Aramaic origin)
- מֹהַר (Mohar) — Bride price (Biblical)
- עֹרֶף (Oref) — Back of the neck (Hebrew cognate root)