Mark Mostow

Computer in Hebrew is: מַחְשֵׁב mahhSHEV. It’s commonly written without vowels as מחשב.

Native Hebrew words are formed by fitting a three or four consonant root into a pattern. The meaning of the word is more or less determined by the basic meaning of the root and the usage of the pattern. In this case, the three consonant root is חשב hh sh v/b, and the pattern is a prefix ma-, and a vowel ay/eh after the second consonant of the root. This three consonant root means think, and the pattern is often used to refer to a tool. So if you heard this word first time, you would guess that it means a tool used for thinking. And that is not a bad description of a computer.