shivah

British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of shivah

from Hebrew, literally: seven (days)

Example Sentences

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

From Time • Nov. 18, 2015

He and Katherine flew to Miami to sit shivah with the Sotloffs.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 24, 2015

And I remember seeing Gilda with Belushi one day, and she said, ‘We’re sitting shivah because Lorne won’t hire John.’

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2012

Booker says he sat shivah with Kushner recently after the death of his mother Rae, a Holocaust survivor.

From Time Magazine Archive

I find myself like the boy that wanted to leah'n to shivah and shake, y' know.

From The Desire of the Moth; and the Come On by Rhodes, Eugene Manlove