cabala

or cab·ba·la, kab·a·la, kab·ba·la, kab·ba·lah

[kab-uh-luh, kuh-bah-]

noun

a system of esoteric theosophy and theurgy developed by rabbis, reaching its peak about the 12th and 13th centuries, and influencing certain medieval and Renaissance Christian thinkers. It was based on a mystical method of interpreting Scripture by which initiates claimed to penetrate sacred mysteries. Among its central doctrines are, all creation is an emanation from the Deity and the soul exists from eternity.

any occult or secret doctrine or science.

Origin of cabala

1515–25; < Medieval Latin cab(b)ala < Hebrew qabbālāh ‘tradition’, literally, something received, i.e., handed down

Can be confusedcabal cabala

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kabbalah

Contemporary Examples of kabbalah

Neilson told Newsweek that "the separation is a healthy thing for Raising Malawi and the Kabbalah Centre."
Madonna's Malawi Denial
Wayne Barrett
April 12, 2011
That goes a long way toward explaining the appeal of the Church of Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre.
Jim Carrey Almighty
Kim Masters
June 11, 2009

Historical Examples of kabbalah

These hermeneutical canons are much older than the Kabbalah.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 6
Various
According to the Kabbalah all these esoteric doctrines are contained in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 6
Various
In another part of this work we have seen that the Rabbis declare the Kabbalah to be above the law.
Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala
Various
The Kabbalah does not possess that integral connection with Masonry which is argued by Mgr.
Devil-Worship in France
Arthur Edward Waite
Eating little means sleeping little, and whole nights without sleep or food incline one to the Kabbalah!
Stories and Pictures
Isaac Loeb Peretz

British Dictionary definitions for kabbalah

kabbalah

kabbala, kabala, cabbala, cabala or qabalah

noun

an ancient Jewish mystical tradition based on an esoteric interpretation of the Old Testament

any secret or occult doctrine or science

Derived Formskabbalism, kabalism, cabbalism, cabalism or qabalism (ˈkæbəˌlɪzəm), nounkabbalist, kabalist, cabbalist, cabalist or qabalist, nounkabbalistic, kabalistic, cabbalistic, cabalistic or qabalistic, adjective

Word Origin for kabbalah

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Hebrew qabbālāh tradition, what is received, from qābal to receive

cabala

noun

a variant spelling of kabbalah

Derived Formscabalism (ˈkæbəˌlɪzəm), nouncabalist, nouncabalistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for kabbalah

see cabbala.

cabala

1670s, variant of cabbala. Related: Cabalist.