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Now, how do you say epidemic and pandemic in Hebrew?
Last Updated on December 9, 2021
How do you say virus, anti-virus and vaccine in Hebrew? What’s the word for epidemic?
Hebrew is an ancient language and as such, lots of foreign words have entered into the Hebrew lexicon and Latin words too. One of those words is the Latin word for ‘liquid poison’ – virus. “Yeish li virus” (יש לי וירוס) is the street-Hebrew translation for “I have a virus”.
Another Hebrew word for virus is ‘Nagif’.
| English | Hebrew | Transliteration |
| Virus | נגיף | Nagif |
| Vaccine | חסון | Chisun |
Take special note: you don’t want to be calling your computer repairman saying -‘Yeish nagif b’machshev sheli’ If you have a computer virus, you would say: ‘Yeish virus b’machshev sheli’
| English | Hebrew | Transliteration |
| Computer virus | וירוס במחשב |
Virus b’machshev |
| Anti-virus | אנטי-וירוד | Anti-virus |
Now, how do you say epidemic and pandemic in Hebrew?
Firstly, what is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?
- Epidemic refers to a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected.
- A pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people as we are seeing with the the coronavirus.
In Hebrew there is only one word for both situations:
| English | Hebrew | Transliteration |
| Epidemic/pandemic | מגיפה |
Magifah |
Now that you have mastered these 5 new words, try these
- Hebrew learning made simple with 100 easy Hebrew lessons
- Get rid of that virus fast! Navigate Israel’s medical system with these resources
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