hamentaschen

Alternative Spellings

hamentashen, homentashn

Definitions

• "Small, triangular-shaped cookies filled with fruit or jam that are eaten on Purim" (JPS)

Example Sentences

• "We are going to bake hamentaschen for the Purim carnival."

Languages of Origin

Yiddish

Etymology

המן־טאַשן homentashn (singular המן־טאַש homentash) 'lit. Haman pockets; triangular jam- or poppy seed-filled cookies eaten on Passover'

Who Uses This

Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

Notes

The traditional filling is מאָן mon 'poppy seeds', which may have contributed to the association of the cookies (montashn) with the name Homen and ultimately with Purim.