mezuzah

American  

[muh-zooz-uh, muh-zoo-zah, muh-zoo-zuh] / məˈzʊz ə, mə zuˈzɑ, məˈzʊ zə /

Or mezuza

noun

mezuzoth, plural mezuzot, plural mezuzos, plural mezuzahs plural

1. Judaism. a parchment scroll inscribed on one side with the Biblical passages Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21 and on the other side with the word Shaddai (a name applied to God), inserted in a small case or tube so that Shaddai is visible through an aperture in front, and attached by some Jews to the doorjambs of the home.

---

mezuzah British  

/ məˈzʊzə, məˈzʊzə, -ˈzuː-, məzʊˈzɑ /

noun

1. a piece of parchment inscribed with biblical passages and fixed to the doorpost of the rooms of a Jewish house

2. a metal case for such a parchment, sometimes worn as an ornament

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• mezuzot
  plural
• mezuzos
  plural
• mezuzahs
  plural
• mezuzoth
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mezuzah

First recorded in 1640–50; from Hebrew məzūzāh, literally, “doorjamb, doorpost”