tallith

or tal·lit, tal·lis

[ Ashkenazic Hebrew, English tah-lis; Sephardic Hebrew tah-leet ]

noun

, Judaism.

, plural tal·li·thim, tal·li·tim, tal·li·sim [tah-, lee, -sim, -, ley, -, tah-l, uh, -, sim, tah-lee-, teem].

1. a shawllike garment of wool, silk, or the like, with fringes, or zizith, at the four corners, worn around the shoulders by Orthodox and Conservative (sometimes also Reform) Jews, as during the morning service.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tallith¹

First recorded in 1605–15, tallith is from the Hebrew word ṭallīth literally, cover, cloak

Example Sentences

One father spread his tallith over his sons, and killed them and himself.

From Project Gutenberg

She saw him go down in his working clothes; she did not know that he had hidden the tallith under his apron.

From Project Gutenberg

They laid the body on the floor in front of the prison cells and covered it with the tallith as with a shroud.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cloth
• scarf
• stole