dreidel

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Pronunciations

dreidel (DREY-del) listen

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Definitions

  • n. "A small, four-sided spinning top used in a game during Chanukah" (JPS); the top itself.

Example Sentences

  • "On Chanukah we eat latkes and play dreidel."

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • דרײדל dreydl (the root דרײ drey means 'spin')

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      dreydl, draidel, draidle

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