Miktav

Miktav is a Hebrew noun meaning a letter or a writing. It derives from the root כתב (k-t-v), “to write.” The form with the mi- prefix signals a produced written thing, so miktav can refer to a letter, a document, or any written record. The related noun ketiva (כתיבה) means the act or process of writing.

In Modern Hebrew, miktav covers both a letter in the sense of mail and a written document. The verb l multiple forms: to write a letter is לכתוב מכתב (lakh'tov mikhtav). People say מכתב to mean a letter, and the word can also denote a formal written document, such as a declaration or certificate. The plural is miktavim (מִכתָבים).

In biblical and rabbinic Hebrew, miktav is often used to signify an epistle or formal letter, sometimes addressing a group or conveying instruction, law, or exhortation. The term appears in Jewish writings to denote letters appended to works or dispatched between scholars.

An associated term is ketiva (כתיבה), meaning writing in general, and phrases like ketav yad (כתב יד) for handwriting. Thus miktav encompasses both everyday and formal senses of written communication in Hebrew.