definitions

shofar

or sho·phar

[ shoh-fer; Sephardic Hebrew shaw-fahr; Ashkenazic Hebrew shoh-fuh r, shoh-fahr ]
/ ˈʃoʊ fər; Sephardic Hebrew ʃɔˈfɑr; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˈʃoʊ fər, ʃoʊˈfɑr /
|

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.

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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Nearby words

shoestring catch, shoestring potatoes, shoestring root rot, shoestring tackle, shoetree, shofar, shog, shogi, shogun, shogun bond, shogunate

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for shofar

British Dictionary definitions for shofar

shofar

shophar

/ (ˈʃəʊfɑː, Hebrew ʃɔˈfar) /

noun plural -fars, -phars, -froth or -phroth (Hebrew -ˈfrɔt)

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

Word Origin for shofar

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

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."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper