מהיר

Where it comes from

A deverbal adjective in the קָטִיל (“qatīl”) pattern, from the root מ־ה־ר, the same root as the verb מָהַר (mahár, “to hasten, to hurry, to be quick”). The pattern typically yields adjectives denoting a characteristic disposition, hence “characterized by swiftness.”

Cognate with Arabic مَاهِر (māhir, “skilled, expert”) and its verb مَهَرَ (mahara, “to be skilled, to be proficient”); compare also reflexes of the root in Akkadian, Classical Syriac and Ge'ez denoting skill or training, and Egyptian mhr (“trained warrior”) (per Brown–Driver–Briggs). The inherited sense of swiftness in action developed into that of practised skill, both senses being attested already in Biblical Hebrew.