פָּקַע (cmp. בקע) to split; to burst; to break forth, escape. Gen. R. s. 32 אינו מספיק … עד שהיא פוֹקַעַת he scarcely beats it (the bad flax) once, when it bursts; ib. s. 34; Yalk. Is. 350. Gen. R. l. c. שאינו מקיש עליהם אחת עד שהיא פוקעת he knocks at them (the bad earthen vessels) scarcely once, and one is cracked (ib. s. 32 עד שהוא שוברם). Y. Maasr. III, 50ᵈ top פעמים שהיא פוקעת וכ׳ sometimes it (the fig) bursts under the wheel. Zeb. IX, 6 גחלת שפָּקְעָה מעל וכ׳ a coal that sprang from the altar; אברים שפָּקְעוּ וכ׳ chips of limbs that sprang off the altar. Tosef. Par. III (II), 11 פ׳ מעורה וכ׳ if a part of her skin … (in burning the red cow) leaped off beyond the pit. Ib. 12. Yalk. Num. 761 את הפּוֹקְעִין the portions which spring off, v. פֶּקַע; a. fr.—Pesik. R. s. 11 או שמא תִפְקַע האוזן וכ׳ (or תִפָּקַע Nif.) or (I would venture to say it, were I not afraid,) lest the ear of the hearer burst, i.e. it is almost blasphemous to say it; (Mekh. Yithro, Baḥod., s. 2 כדי שתבקע אוזן it is enough for an ear to burst). Y. Yeb. I, 2ᶜ bot. פקעו ממנה קידושין (not ופקעו) the betrothal rebounds from her, i.e. has no legal effect, opp. חלו עליה.—Part. pass. פָּקוּעַ; f. פְּקוּעָה an animal which is ripped open; בן (ה) פ׳ an animal taken alive out of the slaughtered mother’s womb. Ḥull. 69ᵃ; a. fr.
Pi. - פִּקֵּעַ to cause splitting. Y. Pes. VII, 35ᵇ top שלא לפַקֵּעַ תחת הבשר in order not to cause a splitting of the bone under the flesh, v. פֶּקַע.
Hif. - הִפְקִיעַ 1) to split, break open. Sabb. III, 3 (38ᵇ) לא יַפְקִיעֶנָּה בסודרין he must not break it (the egg) over a hot cloth, Rashi (oth. interpret.: he must not cause it to crack by wrapping it in a hot cloth and rolling it; v. Tosaf. Yom Tob a. l.). —2) to strip, pluck, ravel out. Bets. 31ᵇ מתיר ומַפְקִיעַ וחותך may untie (the knot, v. חוֹתָם), or ravel out or cut through; Sabb. 146ᵃ; Y. ib. XV, beg. 15ᵃ, a. e. ומַפְקִיעִין, v. פִּקְפֵּק. Succ. V, 3 מהן היו מַפְקִיעִין ובהן היו מדליקין they stripped them (the worn-out belts of priests) and used them for wicks; Sabb. 21ᵃ בגדי … מפקיעין אותן ומהן היו עושין פתילות וכ׳ they ravelled out priestly garments and made of them wicks &c.; expl. Y. Succ. V, 55ᵇ bot. מפשילים, v. פָּשַׁל. Esth. R. to I, 6 הכל מפקיעין בחבלי וכ׳ all make straps (for their couches) of woolen or flax ropes, and this wicked man uses byssus and purple; a. fr.—2) [to cause breaking loose,] to release, cancel an obligation. Yeb. 66ᵇ sq., a. fr. הקדש … מפקיעין מידי שעבוד consecration (of a pledged object), leavened matter (on the entrance of Passover), and liberation (of a pledged slave) cause a release from mortgage (cancel the mortgage contract). Bekh. 5ᵃ אין בכור מפקיע בכור a first-born Levite could not serve as ransom for a first-born Israelite; דיו לבכור שיַפְקִיעַ וכ׳ it was enough for the firstborn Levite that he released his own consecration (that he needed no priest to be substituted for him); a. fr. —3) ה׳ השער to break up, unsettle the market, to raise prices arbitrarily, create a panic. Taan. II, 9 שלא להַפְקִיעַ השערים in order not to cause a sudden rise of market prices (by creating the impression of impending scarcity). Meg. 17ᵇ כנגד מַפְקִיעֵי שערים a prayer against those who raise prices (speculating on a coming scarcity).