Jastrow: מַסְמָר

מַסְמָר m. (b. h. only in pl.; סָמַר) 1) a pointed object, nail, pin. Sabb. VI, 10 (67ᵃ) מ׳ מן הצלוב (Y. ed. מ׳ הצלוב) a nail from the gallows of an impaled convict (used as an amulet). Kel. XII, 4 מ׳ הגרע the blood-letter’s pin (v. infra); מ׳ של אבן השעות the style of the sun-dial; מ׳ הגרדי the weaver’s pin. Ib. 5 מ׳ שהתקינו וכ׳; Tosef. Kel. B. Mets. II, 14 מ׳ שעקמו וכ׳ an iron pin which was bent in order to be used as a key. Kel. l. c. מ׳ של שלחני the banker’s pin for fastening the shutters, v. תְּרִיס.—Num. R. s. 14 מ׳ שיש לו שושנה a nail which has a big knob.—Tosef. Kel. B. Mets. IV, 3 מקל שעשה בראשו מ׳ להיות תופס בו וכ׳ a staff to the end of which a pin was attached for the sake of taking hold of the threshing floor (of making it stationary); ib. V, 10. Ib. B. Bath. VII, 2 חוט המ׳ של וכ׳ the builder’s cord to which a pin is attached (i.e. plumb-line). Ib. B. Mets. II, 11 מ׳ הגרוע the scraper’s pin (fastened to the smith’s block); a. fr.—Pl. מַסְמְרִים, מַסְמְרִין, מַסְמְרוֹת. Gen. R. s. 68, end. B. Bath. 7ᵇ קבע בה מ׳ drive nails into it, i.e. remember it well. Tosef. Kel. B. Mets. II, 11 גולת חנוני שכולה מ׳ a store-keeper’s bowl (?) studded all over with nails. Tanḥ. B’haăl. 15 (ref. to Koh. XII, 11) כתיב כמשמרות ואנו קורין מ׳ וכ׳ it is written k’mishm’roth (like guards) and we read k’masm’roth (like nails) to teach thee, if thou drivest them like a nail into thy heart, they will guard thee; Num. R. s. 4. Esth. R. to VI, 10 אני … חבלים ומ׳ I prepared for thee ropes and nails (for impaling); a. fr. —2) (pl.) cloves. Num. R. l. c. ערבין … כמ׳ נטועים as sweet to their hearers as cloves. —3) a peg-shaped attachment to a loaf, knob. T’bul Yom I, 3 מ׳ שאחר הככר the knob on the back of the loaf (supposed to serve as trade-mark). —4) a wart or corn (cmp. Lat. clavus).—Pl. מַסְמְרוֹת. Sifra Thazr. Neg., Par. 1, ch. II המ׳; Tosef. Neg. II, 12 המַסְמֶרֶת (sing.).