yarmulke

or yar·mel·ke, yar·mul·ka

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

nounJudaism.

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

Origin of yarmulke

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use yarmulke in a sentence

That’s how he knows that of the 218 rabbis who delivered prayers in the “modern TV era,” 180 — 83 percent — wore yarmulkes.
Praying for the politicians: A new book recounts the history of rabbis in the Capitol | John Kelly | December 9, 2020 | Washington Post
If they were meaningful, we might have realized it before—surely one of these kids wore a cross, or a yarmulke, or a hijab?
Harry Potter and the Torah of Terror | Candida Moss, Joel Baden | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
An older bro wore a red bow tie and a yarmulke emblazoned with the “TEAM MITCH” logo as he stared down at his smartphone intently.
Mitch’s Brotastic Victory Bash | Olivia Nuzzi | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A psychiatric resident came in to speak with Dianne and the husband saw he was wearing a yarmulke.
Why House Stenographer Dianne Reidy Snapped | Michael Daly | October 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Does Braun genuinely identify as a Jew, or was he forced into a virtual yarmulke and then despised for it?
Ryan Braun and Anti-Semites | Emily L. Hauser | August 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

Later, in French, he explains that he prefers to keep his yarmulke hidden.
The Last Jews of Tunisia | Paul Rosenfeld, Noah Rayman | March 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for yarmulke

yarmulke

/ (ˈjɑːməlkə) /

noun

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

Origin of yarmulke

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.

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