First recorded in 1890–95; from Ashkenazi pronunciation of Hebrew shibhʿāh “seven”
From Sanskrit: literally, “the auspicious”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Jewish religion, to begin the ritual mourning period, called shiva, a body needs to be buried first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025
And in some ways, we are still in shiva now, but not so intensively.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2025
But for some reason, I needed that validated, and the shiva validated it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
All are brought together, at the deceased patriarch’s request, to sit shiva for a backbreaking seven days.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
Their dark slate roofs and tall hedges gave the buildings an atmosphere of solemn dignity, like matrons sitting shiva.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
In an 1803 etching and aquatint with watercolor by Thomas Daniell, we see Gangaram absorbed in sketching wall reliefs of Shiva and Parvati from a rock-cut cave at Ellora.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
"The only common feeling these days is uncertainty about what lies ahead and what the outcome will be" of this war, 31-year-old Tehran resident Shiva told AFP.
From Barron's ● Mar. 22, 2026
At its heart was a 12ft tall emblem of the Hindu god Shiva, sheathed in gold encrusted with rubies and pearls.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
Aloo Kumar, 55, wanted to express her gratitude to Lord Shiva, one of Hinduism’s three most important deities.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
On the television set is a brass statue of Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic lord of the dance, who controls the motions of the universe and the flow of time.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
