# רקע
## Hebrew
### Etymology

From the root ר־ק־ע (r-k-').

### Pronunciation 1

* (Biblical Hebrew) IPA: /raːˈqaʕ/
* (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA: /rɔːˈqaʕ/ [ʀɔːˈqaːʕ]
* (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA: /rɔˈqaʕ/ [rɔːˈɡæːʕ] (Sanaani), [rɔːˈqæːʕ] (Sharaabi)
* (Persian Hebrew) IPA: /rɒˈɢæ/, [rɒˈʁæ]
* (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA: /raˈkaŋ/ (West), /raˈqaʕ/ (East)
* (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA: /rɔˈka(ŋ)/
* (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA: /raˈka(ʕ)/

#### Verb

רָקַע • (raká) (pa'al construction)
* to stomp
** 1973, Svika Pick, הרקדן האוטומטי (“The Automatic Dancer”):הנה הוא שומע את המנגינה / מתחבר כמו אוטומט לזרם / בגופו רוקע על האדמה / הוא נמצא עכשיו בתוך הקצבThere he hears the melody / connecting like an automatic / with his body [he] stamps on the ground / he is now within the rhythm

##### Conjugation

$^1$ Pronounced רָקַעְתֶּם and רָקַעְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. $^2$ Rare in Modern Hebrew.

### Pronunciation 2

* (Biblical Hebrew) IPA: /ˈraqʕ/
* (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA: /ˈrɛ.qaʕ/ [ˈʀɛː.qaʕ]
* (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA: /ˈra.qaʕ/ [ˈræː.ɡæʕ] (Sanaani), [ˈræː.qæʕ] (Sharaabi)
* (Persian Hebrew) IPA: /ˈre.ɢæ/ [ˈre.ʁæ]
* (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA: /ˈre.kaŋ/ (West), /ˈre.qaʕ/ (East)
* (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA: /ˈrɛ.ka(ŋ)/
* (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA: /ˈre.ka(ʕ)/

#### Noun

רֶקַע • (réka) m (plural indefinite רְקָעִים, singular construct רֶקַע־, plural construct רִקְעֵי־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]
* (literally) A background: the background of a picture (or the like).
* (figuratively) A background, an ambient environment.
    מוזיקת רקע ― muzikát-réka ― background music
    עם מוזיקה ברקע ― im múzika baréka ― with music in the background
** 2005, אסף גברון (translator), Audrey Niffenegger (English author), “אשתו של הנוסע בזמן” (The Time Traveler’s Wife), Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir (publishers), →ISBN, page 398
    כשקנדריק מפסיק לדבר, פתאום נשמעים רעשי הרקע של הבניין.k'shekéndrik mafsík l'dabér, pit'óm nishma'ím ra'ashéi-haréka shel habinyan.When Kendrick stops talking the background noises of the building are suddenly apparent.
* (figuratively) A background: a person's heritage, upbringing, and so on.
    הרקע הסוציו־אקונומי של המשפחה ― haréka hasotsyo-ekonómi shél hamishpakhá ― the family's socioeconomic background
* (figuratively) A basis: an underlying situation or cause.
** 2011 March 29, דן אבן (Dan Even), “85% מהתלונות לרופא על עייפות אינן על רקע גופני” (85% meihat'lunót l'rofé al ayefút einán al réka gufaní, “85% of medical complaints of tiredness do not have a physical basis”), in Haaretz Online.
* (computing) background, desktop background
    רקעים למחשב ― r'ka'ím l'makhshév ― desktop backgrounds (literally backgrounds for a computer)
    רקעי מחשב ― rik'éi-makhshév ― desktop backgrounds (literally computer backgrounds)

##### Usage notes

* (background, ambient environment): As may be seen in the examples above, the noun רקע (réka) very often functions either as an attributive modifier, or as the object of the preposition ב־ (b'-, “in”). In this respect it is similar to English background.
* (basis): Note that על רקע […] (al réka, “on/against a […] background”) typically has a much stronger implication of causation than an English-speaker might expect.

##### Derived terms

* מוּזִיקַת רֶקַע (múzikat réka)

### Pronunciation 3
#### Verb

רִקֵּעַ • (rikéa') (pi'el construction)
* defective spelling of ריקע.

### Pronunciation 4
#### Verb

רֻקַּע • (ruká) (pi'el construction)
* defective spelling of רוקע.

### References

* H7554 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* “רקע” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN, volume 3 of 3 (ק to ת), page 1305.
* ↑ English from: Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Harcourt (2004), →ISBN, page 464.

### Anagrams

* קרע