Meanings
targum1
plural targums · plural targumim
- JudaismAn Aramaic translation of the Tanakh written or compiled between the Second Temple period and the early Middle Ages.
Jonathan who compiled the Thargum, conceives the colours of these banners to answer the pretious stones in the breastplate, and upon which the names of the Tribes were engraven.
1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, V.101 more example
Eventually, the words of such Aramaic whisper-translations (called chuchotage in the modern world of international interpreters) were written down, mostly in small fragments, and these targums now provide precious linguistic and historical records for scholars of Judaism.
2011, David Bellos, Is That a Fish in Your Ear?, Penguin, published 2012, page 141
Targum2
Origin
- Hebrewתַּרְגּוּם“translation”
- Englishtargum
From Hebrew תַּרְגּוּם (targúm, “translation”).
More words from Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French targum
- targumtranslation of the Tanakh
German Targum
- Targumtranslation of the Tanakh
Italian targum
- targumtranslation of the Tanakh
Polish targum
- targumtranslation of the Tanakh
Swedish targum
- targumtranslation of the Tanakh
Cite this entry
targum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/targum
“targum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/targum. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “targum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/targum.
Source: targum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.