dibbuk
[ Sephardic Hebrew dee-book; Ashkenazic Hebrew dib-uh k ]
/ Sephardic Hebrew diˈbuk; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˈdɪb ək /
noun, plural dib·buks, dib·buk·im [Sephardic Hebrew dee-boo-keem; Ashkenazic Hebrew dih-boo k-im] /Sephardic Hebrew di buˈkim; Ashkenazic Hebrew dɪˈbʊk ɪm/. Jewish Folklore.
Nearby words
Definition for dibbuk (2 of 2)
dybbuk
or dib·buk
[ Sephardic Hebrew dee-book; Ashkenazic Hebrew, English dib-uh k ]
/ Sephardic Hebrew diˈbuk; Ashkenazic Hebrew, English ˈdɪb ək /
noun, plural dyb·buks, dyb·bu·kim [Sephardic Hebrew dee-boo-keem; Ashkenazic Hebrew dih-boo k-im] /Sephardic Hebrew ˌdi buˈkim; Ashkenazic Hebrew dɪˈbʊk ɪm/. Jewish Folklore.
a demon, or the soul of a dead person, that enters the body of a living person and directs the person's conduct, exorcism being possible only by a religious ceremony.
Origin of dybbuk
1900–05; < Yiddish dibek < Hebrew dibbūq, derivative of dābhaq cleave (to); spelling dybbuk is a Pol transliteration of the Heb word
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for dibbuk (1 of 2)
dibbuk
/ (ˈdɪbək, Hebrew diˈbuk) /
noun plural -buks or -bukkim (Hebrew -buˈkim)
a variant spelling of dybbuk
British Dictionary definitions for dibbuk (2 of 2)
dybbuk
/ (ˈdɪbək, Hebrew diˈbuk) /
noun plural -buks or -bukkim (Hebrew -buˈkim)
Judaism (in the folklore of the cabala) the soul of a dead sinner that has transmigrated into the body of a living person
Word Origin for dybbuk
from Yiddish dibbūk devil, from Hebrew dibbūq; related to dābhaq to hang on, cling
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for dibbuk
dybbuk
"malevolent spirit of a dead person possessing the body of a living one," 1903, from Jewish folklore, from Hebrew dibbuk, from dabak "to cling, cleave to."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper