prayer shawl

American  

[prair] / prɛər /

noun

Judaism.

1. a tallith.

---

prayer shawl British  

/ prɛə /

noun

1. Judaism another word for tallit

---

Etymology

Origin of prayer shawl

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

At a campaign rally in October, a huge screen with the image of a man wearing a Jewish prayer shawl and blowing a shofar suddenly illuminated the stadium.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2023

Aaron doesn't feel comfortable showing items traditionally worn by Jewish men in public, either his kippah or his tzitzit, the tassels of his prayer shawl.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2023

Jesse Rabinowitz, who stood outside the White House in a prayer shawl, said that it was important to him to show up fully as an American, as an observant Jew, and as a progressive.

From Slate • Oct. 18, 2023

She then showed the children a blue-striped learner’s tallit, a prayer shawl, and, draping it around her shoulders, imitated a man proudly strutting into the sanctuary on the Sabbath.

From New York Times • May 21, 2019

I did not wear a prayer shawl; they were worn only by adults who were or had once been married.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok