shamash

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See also: Shamash

English

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Etymology

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From Hebrew שַׁמָּשׁ (shamásh, waiter, sexton). Doublet of shammes, via Yiddish.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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shamash (plural shamashim)

  1. (Judaism) The candle used to light the other eight candles of a Hanukkah menorah or hanukkiah.
    • 2023 December 7, Jacey Fortin, “For Some, the Symbols of Hanukkah Bring Extra Concern This Year”, in The New York Times[1]:
      The candelabras lit on Hanukkah are technically called hanukkiahs. They have eight candles plus one more, a shamash, that is used for lighting the others.
  2. A sexton in a synagogue.
    • 1997, Michael Stivelman, The Death March:
      Until 1890, when the local Chevra Kadisha (a traditional Jewish funerary society) was set up, funeral services were performed by the shamashim, the beadles of the synagogues.

Alternative forms

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Translations

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