Ma'ariv

Pronunciations

Ma'ariv (MAH-reev) listen
Ma'ariv (MAH-ah-reev) listen

Definitions

  • n. The Jewish evening prayer service.

  • n. The western direction.

Example Sentences

  • "My dad is davening Maariv tonight."

  • "Do they wait till after dark before saying Ma'ariv?" (Glinert)

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH מַעֲרִיב ma'ariv, lit. 'bringing night' > Y מעריבֿ mayrev

    • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • Australia / New Zealand
      • South Africa
      • Great Britain
      • 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).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      Mayriv, Mairiv, Maarev, Mariv, Mayrev, Mairev, Maariv

Notes

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.