"אחריות" in Hebrew means responsibility. But if you break down each letter, and go in order from right to left you get some really cool ideas about the importance of the word. First off, it starts with "א" the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Next you have "אח" which means brother, as in be mindful of your brothers and be responsible for them. The next one is "אחר" which is different/other, so be responsible for your other brothers, those that might be different from you. "אחרי" means after, with a little bit different of a stress when pronouncing. The next one is "אחריו" meaning followed by, and we end with the finished word and also the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, "ת". We begin and end with the beginning and the ending. When we use a word like this, it is no light idea. We are speaking of our brothers/sisters, of others that differ from us that may follow us or we may follow them. I learned this from my good friend and guide when I was visiting my home 2 years back. The Hebrew language has many of these interesting quirks and is actually full of meaning in each word.
Wow, that's really beautiful. And where Hebrew is spoken, are the people aware of the beauty they're speaking? Or is it just "responsible" and that's it?
Well, my mother is a teacher of the Hebrew language and I somehow was always interested in etymology, so I think I am more aware of certain significances in some words. Many names in the Hebrew language are symbolic (much like the old testament, and artistic culture of Israel/Hebrew world). Another example that isn't as in depth as the one I gave above would be "אברהם" or Abraham. We know this is the first father of Judaism, but simply in that name there is the words father/parent, feathers on a bird for flight, and organ/limb when broken down in a similar fashion that I have done above. So I guess you could say this is throughout the language for words that are more traditional and not seen in modern, slang words introduced from America and Arabic culture/language. I don't know if everyone is as attuned to the language's beauty as myself or my mother, as I did not learn or grow up in Israel (obviously the major Hebrew speaking nation), but I'm sure if you look closely enough you can see it (similar in fashion to learning latin roots and seeing it in words that you already know and can apply).
That's not something I think I've ever thought about. That those who immerse themselves in the history of words probably have a much greater appreciation and fascination with words than most.