melaveh malka

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Pronunciations

melaveh malka (meh-LAH-veh MAHL-kah)

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Definitions

  • n. A celebratory meal on Saturday night after Shabbat has ended.

  • n. A party or gathering for Orthodox women only.

Example Sentences

  • "My husband is careful to have a melaveh malka that includes bread and meat." (source)

  • "You are cordially invited to a musical melaveh malka on Saturday, March 11 at 8 P.M." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • מלווה מלכּה, lit. 'escorting the queen'

      • 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)

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • 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

      melave malka, melaveh malkah, melave malkah, melaveh malke, melave malke, melave malkeh, melaveh malkeh

Notes

  • "Tradition says [this Saturday night celebration] began with King David, who had been warned that he would die on a Sabbath. At the end of each Sabbath, he celebrated his being alive with a feast." (JPS)

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