פָּתַק to divide, distribute, esp. to dig or open a channel. Y. Snh. IX, 27ᵃ פ׳ אמת המים עליו וכ׳ if he opened a sluice near a person, and the water came and swept him off. Tosef. Sabb. I, 23 פּוֹתְקִין מים לגינה וכ׳ you may conduct water into a garden on the eve of the Sabbath shortly before dark &c.; Bab. Snh. 18ᵃ; Y. ib. I, 3ᵈ bot. Tosef. B. Kam. II, 6 אילו הפותקין ביביהן וכ׳ those who conduct their gutters … into the public road. Gen. R. s. 16, v. מַגְרוֹפִית. Tem. 12ᵃ [read:] ממלא … ופוֹתְקָן למקוה he may draw a quantity of nineteen S’ah of water and let it run through a gutter into the bath. Yalk. Prov. 961 כיון שפְּתָקָהּ when he cut its supply off by diverting the channel; Yalk. Gen. 16 שפוסקה; Gen. R. s. 10 שפסקה; a. e.
    Pi. - פִּיתֵּק same. Gen. R. s. 51, end (ref. to Deut. II, 9) אבל אתה מְפַתֵּק הנהרות וכ׳ but you may divert their rivers.—Denom. פִּיתָּק, הֶפְתֵּק.
    Nif. - נִפְתָּק to be cut off, divided; esp. to be conducted, diverted. Tosef. Mikv. III, 6 ונִפְתְּקוּ ובאו לחברו ed. Zuck. (oth. ed. ונפסקו) and the water of one pond was diverted and came into the other pond; ib. 5 ונפתקו R. S. to Mikv. III, 1 (ed. ונפסקו).