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menorah

[muh-nawr-uh, -nohr-uh]
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noun
  1. a candelabrum having seven branches (as used in the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem), or any number of branches (as used in modern synagogues).
  2. a candelabrum having nine branches, for use on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
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Origin of menorah

First recorded in 1885–90, menorah is from the Hebrew word mənōrāh literally, lampstand
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

candelabrasconcepricketcandelabrummenorah

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British Dictionary definitions for menorah

menorah

noun Judaism
  1. a seven-branched candelabrum used in the Temple and now an emblem of Judaism and the badge of the state of Israel
  2. a candelabrum having eight branches and a shammes that is lit during the festival of Hanukkah
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Word Origin

from Hebrew: candlestick
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 menorah

n.

1886, from Hebrew menorah "candlestick," from Semitic stem n-w-r "to give light, shine" (cf. Arabic nar "fire," manarah "candlestick, lighthouse, tower of a mosque," see minaret).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
menorah in Culture

menorah

A nine-branched candelabrum used during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The center candle, or “starter,” is used to light the other eight candles, with one additional candle lit on each subsequent evening of the celebration.

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.