Khoshekh

Grammar

Word: חשך or חושך
Representation: ChoShCh
Transliteration: Kho-shekh (the "kh" is gutteral)
Noun: "darkness" or "a tangible darkness"
Strong Concordance: H2822

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Exposition

This word appears more than 100 times in the Tanach. Sometimes it is prefixed with "ה" ("the") and sometimes not, which appears to be more of a stylistic choice than a modifier of the meaning.

In the first place that is appears (Genesis 1:2) it is presents as almost a form of a blanket draped over the waters. And in Genesis 1:4, this physical darkness was mixed with light, and the Elohim needed to make a separation between the light and darkness to be used for other things.

The attributes of "darkness" are also quite physical:

It can be felt (Ex. 10:21)
It is thick (Ex. 10:22, Ex. 20:18, Deut. 4:11, Deut 5.19, etc.)
As a barrier (Joshua 4:7)
It is deep (Job 24:17)

The use of this Hebrew word has cause a lot of interpretation of Scripture. According to the Ramban, the darkness of Genesis was a black fire, distinguishing it from other darknesses, and that the darkness of Genesis was the darkness that was brought into Egypt that could be felt.

There are Hebrew terms for "dark" (not "darkness"), and those are never physical like חושך.

So sometimes I will use "tangible-darkness" when the context is clear that it has a form.

"EVEN DARKNESS WHICH MAY BE FELT (Exodus 10:21). How thick was this darkness? Our Sages conjectured that it was as thick as a denar, for when it says EVEN DARKNESS WHICH MAY BE FELT, it means a darkness which had substance." - Midrash Rabbah Exodus 14:1

For more about the darkness, and it's relationship to night and the moon, click here.