hamentaschen

Definitions

• n. "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'
  

Who Uses This

• Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
• Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
• 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).
• Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

Alternative Spellings

hamentaschn, hamantaschn, homentashn, hamentashn, homantashn, hamantashn, homentaschen, hamantashen, homantaschen, hamantaschen, homentashen, homantashen, hamentashen, homantaschn, homentaschn