מחי, מָחָה, (מָחַח) (b. h.; v. מָהָה) to rub, wipe out; to wear out, destroy. [In Talm. mostly מָחַק.] Erub. 13ᵃ; Sot. II, 4 (17ᵇ) (ref. to ומחה, Num. V, 23) כתב שיכול לִמְחוֹת (Mish. להִמָּחֵק) a writing which one can wash off. Gen. R. s. 23 (play on מחויאל, Gen. IV, 18) מוֹחָן אני וכ׳ I shall wipe them out of the world; a. e.—V. מָחוּי.
Pi. - מִיחָה [to strike out, annul,] 1) to protest against. B. Bath. 38ᵇ מי׳ בפני שנים if he entered a protest against the illegitimate occupation of his property in the presence of two (v. מְחָאָה). Ib. וכי למָחוֹת וכ׳ must he protest in the occupant’s presence?—Keth. 11ᵃ מִיחֲתָה she protested against her conversion in childhood. Pes. 88ᵃ יכולה למחות she has the privilege of protesting (declaring her preference); a. fr. —2) (with ב or ביד of the person) to forewarn, interfere, try to prevent. Sabb. 55ᵇ bot. מפני שהיה לו … בחפני ולא מי׳ (not לחפני, v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note) it was for Ph. to forewarn Hofni, and he did not. Ib.ᵃ שאם מִיחוּ בהם לא יקבלו מהם (Ms. M. מחו … קבלו) that if they warned them, they would not have heeded them. Pes. IV, 8, a. e. לא מיחו בידם they did not prohibit their doing so; a. fr.—Cant. R. to IV, 12 עמדו הבנות (ו)מִיחוּ על עצמן וכ׳ the daughters (in their father’s absence) entered a protest concerning themselves and gave themselves away to husbands (Pesik. B’shall., p. 82ᵃ, a. e. נתעסקו בעצמן).
Hif. - הִמְחָה 1) to dissolve, dilute. Y. Pes. III, beg. 29ᵈ ה׳ את החמץ if (by boiling) he made a mush of the leavened matter (made it unrecognizable). Ḥull. 120ᵃ; Y. Maas. Sh. II, beg. 53ᵇ, a. e., v. גָּמָא; a. fr. (interchanging with הִמְהָה).—Tosef. Par. IX (VIII), 8 הִמְחָן באור (not באויר) if he thawed the frozen water by artificial heat.—[Midr. Till. to Ps. VI, 7 וממחה, read וממסה, v. מָסָה.] —2) to rub off, cleanse, polish. B. Bath. V, 10 מַמְחֶה משקלותיו cleanses his weights. Lev. R. s. 7 (play on מיחים, Ps. LXVI, 15) כזה שהוא ממחה בקערה like him who wipes a dish (licks the remnants up); Pesik. Eth Korb., p. 61ᵃ; Pesik. R. s. 16; a. e.—Pirké d’R. El. ch. XVII מַמְחָה בכפיה she produces a sound by rubbing her hands (in sympathy with the mourners). —3) (denom. of מוּמְחֶה) to recognize as an authority; in gen. to authorize; to appoint. Snh. 23ᵃ לא כל הימנו … שהִמְחוּהוּ רבים עליהם he cannot reject a judge whom the majority has recognized as an authority over them. B. Mets. IX, 12 הִמְחֵהוּ אצל וכ׳ if he gave him an order to the storekeeper. Y. Pes. VIII, 35ᵈ top אם במַמְחִין סתם האשה מַמְחָה וכ׳ if by מדעתו is meant giving authority (and not merely knowing and tolerating), it is tacitly understood that a woman makes an appointment as if saying, I will dine with my children; if it means merely knowing, then the Mishnah (Pes. VIII, 1) means appointment.—[Y. Sabb. XIII, beg. 14ᵃ הממחה צדדיו ed. Krot., v. מָתַח.]