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shofar

or sho·phar

[shoh-fer; Sephardic Hebrew shaw-fahr; Ashkenazic Hebrew shoh-fuh r, shoh-fahr]
noun, plural sho·fars, Hebrew sho·froth, sho·frot, sho·fros [Sephardic Hebrew shaw-frawt; Ashkenazic Hebrew shoh-frohs, shoh-frohs] /Sephardic Hebrew ʃɔˈfrɔt; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˈʃoʊ froʊs, ʃoʊˈfroʊs/, Judaism.
  1. 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
Can be confusedchauffeur shofar
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 History

    Eugene Kohn

  • When we hear the shofar blown on Rosh ha-Shanah what should we think of?

  • 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?

British Dictionary definitions for shofar

shofar

shophar

noun plural -fars, -phars, -froth or -phroth (Hebrew -ˈfrɔt)
  1. 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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