yarmulke

or yar·mel·ke, yar·mul·ka

[ yah-muh-kuh, -muhl-, yahr- ]

nounJudaism.
  1. a skullcap worn by Orthodox Jewish males, also worn by most Conservative and some Reform Jewish males during prayer.

Origin of yarmulke

1
First recorded in 1845–50 as jarmolka; from Yiddish yarmlke, from Polish jarmułka, jamułka (earlier jałmurka, ) or Ukrainian yarmúlka, from Turkic; compare Turkish yağmurluk “rain gear,” equivalent to yağmur “rain” + -luk noun suffix; or from Medieval Latin almutia, armutia, aumucia, almucia “(furred) hood, hooded cape”; see also almuce, amice2

Words Nearby yarmulke

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How to use yarmulke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for yarmulke

yarmulke

/ (ˈjɑːməlkə) /


noun
  1. Judaism a skullcap worn by orthodox male Jews at all times, and by others during prayer

Origin of yarmulke

1
from Yiddish, from Ukrainian and Polish yarmulka cap, probably from Turkish yaǧmurluk raincoat, from yaǧmur rain

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

Cultural definitions for yarmulke

yarmulke

[ (yah-muh-kuh, yahr-muhl-kuh) ]


In Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism, a skullcap worn by men as a sign of reverence while praying to God or talking about him.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.