# etymology of the Yiddish verb "chappen" "כאפען" to snatch



## Revivim

Does the Yiddish word "chappen" כאפען come from the Hebrew כף יד?  It doesn't seem to be a Germanic or Slavic root.  In Polish there is an adverb "pochopnie" meaning "hasty" but I don't see any other Polish words with that root.


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## Ben Jamin

In Polish there is a slang word "chapać" meaning exactly "to snatch, grip", commonly perceived as being of Slavic origin, but it may be the other way round, it could be a lone from Yiddish (as many slang words).


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## ahvalj

Ben Jamin said:


> In Polish there is a slang word "chapać" meaning exactly "to snatch, grip", commonly perceived as being of Slavic origin, but it may be the other way round, it could be a lone from Yiddish (as many slang words).


Slavic has a family of verbs: _xopiti, xapati _(Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/xapati - Wiktionary),_ xapiti; gabati; čapati _(Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/čapati - Wiktionary);_ capati_ with the same or related meaning. The usual explanation is either that they are onomatopoeic or that they come from Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/keh₂p- - Wiktionary (_xop-<*khₐop-_ with the vowel after the laryngeal). Alternatively, _gabati_ may be related to Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʰeh₁bʰ- - Wiktionary (from _*gʰohₑbʰ-_). _Čapati_ is somewhat problematic, and _capati_ is in any case secondary as the word-initial _ca-_ can't be regular in Slavic.


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## CyrusSH

Persian verb _chapidan_ has a similar meaning but I think it has Turkic origin.


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## berndf

Revivim said:


> Does the Yiddish word "chappen" כאפען come from the Hebrew כף יד?


כאפען cannot possibly be Hebrew or Aramaic. Khaph at the beginning of a word is impossible. It would always be Kaph. Equally, /x/ at the beginning of the word does not occur in words of Germanic origin. That would have changed to /h/ before the Yiddish language emerged.


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## origumi

We spell it also חאפען so may be of Hebrew root חפן = hand, take a handful.


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## berndf

origumi said:


> We spell it also חאפען so may be of Hebrew root חפן = hand, take a handful.


It seems obvious to me that this is just an orthographic "correction" in Hebrew.


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## origumi

חאפען is an alternative Yiddish spelling. Has nothing to do with Hebrew.
If indeed derived from Hebrew חפן, the last "en" of Hebrew חפן was interpreted, when borrows to Yiddish, as the infinitive marker rather than radical letter.


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## berndf

origumi said:


> חאפען is an alternative Yiddish spelling. Has nothing to do with Hebrew.
> If indeed derived from Hebrew חפן, the last "en" of Hebrew חפן was interpreted, when borrows to Yiddish, as the infinitive marker rather than radical letter.


But there is no dagesh in חפן. How do you explain the /p/ in Yiddish?


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## origumi

Borrowing from written text?


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## berndf

origumi said:


> Borrowing from written text?


In Hebrew or Aramaic loans Yiddish does normally respect the b/v, k/ch, p/f and t/s allophony in the original.


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## origumi

But then either p/f may be used in different conjugations. For example, for noun cho*f*en = "hand", the infinitive is (la)ch*p*on = "take a handful".


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## berndf

origumi said:


> But then either p/f may be used in different conjugations. For example, for noun cho*f*en = "hand", the infinitive is (la)ch*p*on = "take a handful".


But your theory relies on the assumption that it is derived from the noun.


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## origumi

origumi said:


> We spell it also חאפען so may be of Hebrew *root* חפן = hand, *take a handful*.


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## berndf

berndf said:


> But your theory relies on the assumption that it is derived from the noun.


Here:


origumi said:


> If indeed derived from Hebrew חפן, the last "en" of Hebrew חפן was interpreted, when borrows to Yiddish, as the infinitive marker rather than radical letter.


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## origumi

Petty.


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## berndf

origumi said:


> Petty.


It was your argument not mine. If you consider it "petty", fine with me.


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