Yizkor

American

[yeez-kawr, yis-kuhr, yiz-, yis-ker] / yizˈkɔr, ˈyɪs kər, ˈyɪz-, ˈyɪs kər /

noun

Hebrew.

the Jewish service for commemorating the dead, held on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzereth, the second day of Shavuoth, and the last day of Passover.

Yizkor British

/ ˈjizkor /

noun

Judaism a memorial prayer included in the liturgy for certain festivals

"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

Etymology

Origin of Yizkor

yizkōr may He be mindful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Yizkor, which in Hebrew means “may God remember,” refers to the Jewish memorial prayer for the dead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Some offering Yizkor, or remembrance, prayers were doing so in honor of slain loved ones.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 22, 2023

Ruth Fertig, who won the gold medal for her documentary, "Yizkor," said the award gave her faith to move forward as a filmmaker.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2010

Online, he found a comprehensive Zgierz Yizkor book for sale by a Tel Aviv bookstore.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Yizkor Book Project website, www.jewishgen.org/yizkor is making these books available in English for the first time.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023