shiva

¹

or shi·vah

[ shiv-uh ]

noun

1. the traditional seven-day period of mourning observed by Jews immediately following the funeral of a parent, sibling, child, or spouse.

Shiva

²

[ shee-vuh ]

noun

, Hinduism.

1. “the Destroyer,” the third member of the Trimurti, along with Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the Preserver.

Shiva

/ ˈʃɪvə; ˈʃiːvə /

noun

1. See Siva
   a variant spelling of Siva

Derived Forms

• ˈShivaist, nounadjective
• ˈShivaism, noun

Other Words From

• Shiva·ism noun
• Shiva·ist noun
• Shiva·istic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shiva¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from Ashkenazi pronunciation of Hebrew shibhʿāh “seven”

Origin of shiva²

From Sanskrit: literally, “the auspicious”

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. sit shiva, to observe this period.

Example Sentences

The festival also includes a talk on how funding a creative practice influences art, a set by DJs Shiva and K-Meta, and performances by local artists such as Kassim, whose genre defies description.

From Washington Post

While others planned funerals, sat shiva and laid their loved ones to rest, those close to Estelle Hedaya could only keep waiting to hear what had happened to the outgoing, adventurous New York native — this time, with a new loneliness.

From Washington Post

They didn’t care for the depiction of an actor dressed as the Hindu god Shiva.

From MIT Technology Review

How many times were the names of political prisoners such as Majid Tavakoli or Shiva Ahari raised?

From The Daily Beast

Second, hundreds of more dissidents remain in jail: Shiva Ahari, Hossein Maleki, and Bahare Hedayat to name just a few.

From The Daily Beast

I noticed that my three main characters, Sarita, Karun and Jaz, formed a trinity just like Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi.

From The Daily Beast

After my father died, he came to the shiva on the fifth or sixth day and walked in with an ironic, pained, "How ya doing kid?"

From The Daily Beast

In the Tantric model, it's Shakti who brings healing and enlightenment to the god Shiva, just as Neytiri does with Jake.

From The Daily Beast

The adherents of Shiva bury their dead; the others either burn them or throw them into the river.

From Project Gutenberg

A second vichara, nearly as handsome as this last, is called Laoka; the principal figure in this is Shiva.

From Project Gutenberg

The Shiva temple at Madura is the more interesting as its towers are ornamented with six thousand idols.

From Project Gutenberg

"Would you mind explaining first the philosophical idea of the four faces and eight hands of your Shiva," interrupted the padre.

From Project Gutenberg

The material of which the pagodas consecrated to Shiva are constructed is black basalt.

From Project Gutenberg