The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon

ḥmyr, ḥmyrˀ (ḥmīr, ḥmīrā) n.m. leavened food

1 leavened food OfA^Eg, JLAtg, PTA, CPA, Sam, Syr, Man, LJLA. TAD A4.1R.6 : וכל מנדעם זי חמיר אל[ תאכלו ‏ †. TgO Ex12:15 : בְיוֹמָא קַדמָאָה תְבַטְלוּן חְמִירָא מִבָתֵיכוֹן ‏ . TN Ex12:19 : שבעה יומין חמיר לא ישתכח/יתחמין/ בגו בתיכון ‏ . SamTgJ Ex12:15 : תבטלון חמירה מבתיכון ‏ . OS MtCur13:33 : ܚܡܝܪܐ ܕܫܩܠܬ ܐܢܬܬܐ ܚܟܝܡܬܐ܂ ܘܛܡܪܬ ܒܩܡܚܐ ܥܕܡܐ ܕܗܘܐ ܟܠܗ ܚܡܝܪ‏ the leavening that a wise woman takes and inserts into the flour until it is all leaven. P Ex12:15 : ܬܒܿܛܠܘܢ ܚܡܝܪܐ/ܚܡܝܥܐ‏ . ICor5:7 : ܚܡܼܝܪܵܐ ܥܲܬܼܿܝܩܵܐ‏ . (a) leavening, starter dough Syr. OS MtCur13:33 : ܚܡܝܪܐ ܕܫܩܠܬ ܐܢܬܬܐ ܚܟܝܡܬܐ܂ ܘܛܡܪܬ ܒܩܡܚܐ ܥܕܡܐ ܕܗܘܐ ܟܠܗ ܚܡܝܪ ̈‏ the leavening that a wise woman takes and inserts into the flour until it is all leaven. IshDeut 122:5 : ܚܡܝܥܐܼ ܟܠܗܿ ܓܒܝܠܬܐ ܕܠܝܫܐ ܕܐܝܬ ܒܗܿ ܚܡܝܪܐ܂ ܚܡܝܪܐ ܗܿܘ ܠܝܫܐ ܙܥܘܪܐ ܕܢܛܪܝܢܢ ܝܘܡ̈ܬܐ‏ leavened dough is the entire kneaded dough with leavening in it; that leavening is a small bit of dough that we keep for a few days. (b) fig. Syr. Bhce3 359:19 .

2 kindred flesh, relative Sam. SamTgJ Lev18:6 : גבר גבר לכל חמיר בסרה לא תקרבון למגלאה ערוה ‏ none of you may approach one of his kindred flesh to reveal his nakedness. SamTgJ Lev18:12 : ערות אחת אביך לא תגלה חמיר אבוך היא ‏ .

Neither ḥmyˁ nor ḥmyr is "yeast" per se as in some other lexica, but rather, as described in the citation from Isho'dadh cited above, leavened dough and/or starter leavening.
The strange but well established Samaritan usage corresponding to standard Hebrew שאר "flesh, relative" would appear to result from a confusion with its consonantal homograph שְּׂאֹר "leaven," which are pronounced the same in the Samaritan tradition.

Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 464[241]; DJPA: 206a; DJBA: 469a; Jastrow: 477; Drower/Macuch: 123b, 145b; Payne-Smith: ~1296; J. Payne-Smith: 146; Levy Ch-W: 1:267; Tal Sam: 280; DCPA[Schulthess]: 133[66];

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Derivatives:

ḥmyrh n.f. kinship