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shammes

or sha·mes

[shah-muh s]
noun, plural sham·mo·sim [shah-maw-sim] /ʃɑˈmɔ sɪm/.
  1. sexton(def 2).
  2. the candle used to kindle the candles in the Hanukkah menorah.
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Origin of shammes

1945–50; < Yiddish shames < Hebrew shammāsh server, attendant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for shammes

shammes

shammash

noun plural shammosim or shammashim (Hebrew ʃaˈmɔsɪm) Judaism
  1. an official acting as the beadle, sexton, and caretaker of a synagogue
  2. the extra candle used on the Feast of Hanukkah to kindle the lamps or candles of the menorah
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Word Origin for shammes

from Hebrew shāmmāsh, from Aramaic shĕmāsh to serve
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