shivah

/ ˈʃivə, ˈʃivɑ /

noun

1. the period of formal mourning lasting seven days from the funeral during which the mourner stays indoors and sits on a low stool

2. to mourn

Word History and Origins

Origin of shivah¹

from Hebrew, literally: seven (days)

Example Sentences

Helplessness is the gateway to grief, and to grieve – at a wake, during shivah, in a chance encounter at the store – is to talk, to bear witness to the loss until you have absorbed it.

Read more on The Guardian

Its norms are now as well defined as the protocols for sitting shivah or effectuating a Tibetan burial.

Read more on Time

The marketing was fine, save for the amusing fact that the trailer for the “family forced to sit shivah” comedy omits all references to judaism.

Read more on Forbes

As it turns out, making a movie about four siblings reluctantly coming home to sit shivah, the weeklong Jewish mourning ritual, is not unlike being held captive at a real family gathering–minus the snacks.

Read more on Time

From getting me on the plane to keeping in touch with me while I was home sitting shivah, they could not have been more compassionate.

Read more on New York Times