shofar
or sho·phar
[shoh-fer; Sephardic Hebrew shaw-fahr; Ashkenazic Hebrew shoh-fuh r, shoh-fahr]
- a ram's horn blown as a wind instrument, sounded in Biblical times chiefly to communicate signals in battle and announce certain religious occasions and in modern times chiefly at synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
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Origin of shofar
First recorded in 1860–65, shofar is from the Hebrew word shōphār
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for shofar
Historical Examples
Then show the class a shofar or a picture of one and ask, "What is this?"
A Manual for Teaching Biblical HistoryEugene Kohn
When we hear the shofar blown on Rosh ha-Shanah what should we think of?
A Manual for Teaching Biblical HistoryEugene Kohn
The sounds of the shofar are very peculiar and harsh, quite unlike the notes of any modern instrument.
Bible Animals;J. G. Wood
Dr. Beigel has made a most singular discovery concerning the tones of the shofar.
Bible Animals;J. G. Wood
The shrill call of the Shofar, or the soft sense-enslaving tones of the organ?
Simon Eichelkatz; The PatriarchUlrich Frank
shofar
shophar
- Judaism a ram's horn sounded in the synagogue daily during the month of Elul and repeatedly on Rosh Hashanah, and by the ancient Israelites as a warning, summons, etc
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Word Origin
from Hebrew shōphār ram's horn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for shofar
n.
ram's horn blown on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, 1833, from Hebrew shophar "ram's horn," related to Arabic sawafiru "ram's horns," Akkadian shapparu "wild goat."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper