kaddish

noun, often capitalized
kad·​dish | \ ˈkä-dish How to pronounce kaddish (audio) \
plural kaddishes also kaddishim\ kä-​ˈdi-​shim How to pronounce kaddishim (audio) , -​(ˌ)shēm \

Definition of kaddish

: a Jewish prayer recited in the daily ritual of the synagogue and by mourners at public services after the death of a close relative

Examples of kaddish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There were not enough people to say kaddish, the prayer for the dead, so the rabbi rang doorbells in the apartment building, looking for worshipers to join them. Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, "Gay and Once Divorced, a Canadian Rabbi Broadens Judaism’s Tent," 12 July 2019 The two Australian Jews stood side-by-side in the cemetery to recite the kaddish for their deceased siblings. Emanuella Grinberg, Smithsonian, "When a Bavarian Monastery Provided a Home to Jewish Refugees," 11 July 2018 Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish. Matthew Shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017 Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish. Matthew Shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017 Indeed, the kaddish may be interpreted as our words of comfort to God Himself. Rabbi Avi Weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: Teshuvah: God's return to us," 12 Sep. 2017 Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish. Matthew Shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017 Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish. Matthew Shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017 Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish. Matthew Shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kaddish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of kaddish

1613, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for kaddish

Aramaic qaddīsh holy

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