gilgul

[ Sephardic Hebrew geel-gool; Ashkenazic Hebrew gil-gool ]

noun

, Jewish Folklore.

, plural gil·gu·lim [geel-goo-, leem, gil-, goo, -lim].

1. the soul of a dead person that passes into another living body to assume a new existence and atone for past sins.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gilgul¹

< Yiddish gilgl literally, transmigration, metamorphosis < Hebrew gilgul metamorphosis, literally, rolling, revolving